Preventing and reducing restrictive interventions—measures that limit a person’s movement with the intention of preventing harm to themselves or others—is one of the major challenges in mental health care today. Making progress means reviewing practices, sharing knowledge and strengthening care models that place the person at the centre of their therapeutic process.
In this context, the document “Recommendations on the Prevention and Use of Restrictive Interventions”, promoted by La Unió – Associació d’Entitats Sanitàries i Socials and prepared by professionals from different care settings, makes a valuable contribution to continued progress towards more respectful, safe and person-centred care.
Dr Eduardo Fuente, a staff psychiatrist in the Mental Health Unit at Hestia Duran i Reynals, took part in the working group responsible for producing the document and presented it during the conference.
This approach, with which Hestia Health is fully aligned, forms part of the gradual transformation of mental health care, which seeks to understand the person: listening to them, learning about their history, identifying their fears, offering clear information and respecting their ability to make decisions whenever possible.
From this perspective, prevention becomes a key element: early detection of distress, individualised management plans, adaptation of calmer and safer environments, and team training in empathetic communication and verbal de-escalation are fundamental.
Working with calm, prevention and understanding enables progress towards safer, more respectful and person-centred care settings. This model reinforces Hestia Health’s commitment to comprehensive, humane care focused on wellbeing.