NURSES NARRATIVES ABOUT USING COERCION IN PSYCHIATRIC-CARE

To illuminate nurses' experience of using coercion against psychiatric patients, a phenomenological hermeneutic study was conducted with sev en registered nurses and seven enrolled mental nurses. The findings re vealed that these nurses desired to be seen by themselves, their co-wo rkers and patients as doing good, being good and providing good care b ut they experienced the use of coercion as not good. This conflict mad e it difficult for these nurses to question the use of coercion and co nsider alternative solutions. The theory of change by Watzlawick et al . (1974) served as a theoretical framework for the interpretation of a ll interviews regarded as one text. In order to explore alternatives t o the use of coercion in psychiatric care, nurses need assistance to s tep outside the traditional way of regarding coercion in psychiatric c are and seek to create new solutions.