Restraint and Seclusion Web-based Training Program

The goal of the Restrain and Seclusion Web-based Training Program (R&S) is to produce standardized competency-based training materials that will guide mental health care providers in meeting current and emerging federal mandates to reduce the use of R&S. Knowledge and skills addressed in the training materials are: * proper assessment of the client "at risk" for R&S * choosing preventative measures and interventions for the "at risk" client, and * safely inflating and terminating R&S for cases where prevention fails. R&S will be developed using sound methodologies from the fields of nursing, psychiatry, cognitive science and education. The learning materials will be implemented into a web-based training program by the Smilex production team, who have expertise in web programming, multimedia production and interface design. R&S will impact 1) the individual learner, as measured by an increase in knowledge and skills, 2) job performance, as measured by behaviors that are consistent with reducing R&S, and in 3) the clinical setting, with institutional measures of R&S compliance. R&S will meet the staff training needs of all mental health care agencies participating in JCAHO and HCFA federal accreditation programs, and will be the first standardized competency-based program to have a national impact in training mental health staff. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The Restraint and Seclusion Multimedia Educational Program will meet the needs of behavioral health care agencies participating it JCAHO and HCFA accreditation programs. This interactive web application program can be used as a stand-alone focused education; and evaluation module or as part of a comprehensive psychiatric training program. It also has applicability for teaching families, ambulance and emergency room staff, criminal justice personnel and staff in long term care settings.