RNOtherRevista brasileira de enfermagem2025

Recommended nursing care for people with mental disorders in mobile prehospital care: a scoping review.

Liliane Pena, Richardson Miranda Machado, Deborah Franscielle da Fonseca and 3 others

PMID 41370591

WHAT IT FOUND

27 recommended nursing practices were mapped for mental health emergencies in mobile prehospital care: scene safety, assessment, verbal de-escalation, restraint only as last resort, and monitoring.

Key findings

01The review mapped 27 recommended nursing care practices across four domains: safety and protection, assessment, management, and mechanical restraint.

02Recommended management lists verbal de-escalation, medication only when non-pharmacological methods fail, and mechanical restraint only when there is imminent risk and other methods are ineffective.

03If mechanical restraint is used, the mapped recommendations include at least five professionals, direct nurse supervision, continuous visual monitoring, vital sign checks, and documentation.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs

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What it does not show

The review presented a small sample of 23 studies with a low level of evidence, mainly descriptive studies, guidelines, directives, protocols and expert opinion, so it does not show that the recommended care improves outcomes. The review did not assess methodological quality of the included studies because of the scoping review methodology and the diversity of study types. Some relevant studies may be missing because only certain databases and gray literature sources were searched.

The easy way to misread this

Do not read the 27 recommended practices as proof that they improve patient outcomes. The review mapped existing guidance and descriptive studies, did not assess methodological quality, and reported a low level of evidence.

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