Locked entrance doors at psychiatric wards : advantages and disadvantages according to voluntarily admitted patients

• Entrance doors at wards where psychiatric care is provided are sometimes locked, which is notthe case at wards where somatic care is provided. How locked entrance doors at psychiatricwards are experienced by patients has been investigated to a very limited extent. The aim was todescribe voluntarily admitted patients’ perceptions of advantages and disadvantages about beingcared for on a psychiatric ward with a locked entrance door. Audio-taped, semi-structuredinterviews were conducted with 20 patients voluntarily admitted at psychiatric wards. Contentanalysis revealed six categories of advantages and 11 categories of disadvantages. Mostadvantages were categorized as ‘‘protects patients and staff against ‘the outside’ ’’, ‘‘providespatients with a secure and efficient care’’ and ‘‘provides staff with a sense of control over thepatients’’. Most disadvantages were categorized as ‘‘makes patients feel confined’’, ‘‘makespatients feel dependent on the staff ’’ and ‘‘makes patients feel worse emotionally’’. Patientsperceive a variety of advantages and disadvantages, for themselves, their visitors and staff,connected to locked entrance doors at psychiatric wards. A locked door may make the wardappear as both a prison and a sanctuary. It is important that staff try to minimize patients’concerns connected to the locked door.

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