Does near-vision correction improve digital data entry accuracy? A simulated within-subject crossover study among community health workers in Malawi.

In the treatment of inpatients with mental disorders, behavioral restrictions may be necessary for those with severe symptoms. In Japan, such restrictions are regulated by law, which states that “the administrator of a psychiatric hospital may impose necessary restrictions on the behavior of an inpatient to the extent indispensable for their medical care or protection.” Behavioral restrictions are broadly classified into “seclusion and physical restraint” and “restriction of visitors and communications.” Among these, the law mandates that the use of seclusion and physical restraint be determined based on an examination by a Designated Mental Health Physician. As seclusion and physical restraint impose a significant burden on patients and are associated with numerous physical and mental adverse events, medical institutions in Japan are required to establish a committee to minimize behavioral restrictions, and efforts are being made to minimize their use. Furthermore, as seclusion and physical restraints constitute major limitations of human rights, investigations into their actual status are continuously being conducted. Japanese law stipulates that visits and telephone calls with officials from administrative agencies involved in human rights advocacy and lawyers serving as patient representatives cannot be restricted. However, calls and visits with other parties can be restricted “if there are reasonable grounds, such as causing deterioration of the medical condition or hindering therapeutic effects, to the extent indispensable for medical care and protection.” The decision to impose these communication and visitation restrictions does not require qualification as a Designated Mental Health Physician and can be implemented under the physician's orders. Visitor restrictions in general hospital wards, intensive care units, and older adult care facilities may adversely affect patients' mental health., , , Furthermore, the beneficial effects of visits from family members and supporters have been reported. Patients with mental disorders consider interactions with the outside world, such as through visits, to be beneficial, suggesting that free communication and visits may have positive effects on patients' psychiatric symptoms. Although previous studies have suggested these potential benefits, the law permits restrictions based on concerns that communication and visitation may negatively affect psychiatric symptoms. However, no investigations have been conducted on the actual extent of visitor and telephone restrictions. Therefore, this study conducted an exploratory investigation to clarify the status of visitors and telephone restrictions and the factors associated with these restrictions among patients hospitalized for the treatment of mental disorders. The participants of this study were patients hospitalized for the treatment of mental disorders at the Departments of Psychiatry at Kitasato University Hospital and Kitasato University East Hospital between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2021. The psychiatric ward at Kitasato University East Hospital, which was the subject of this study, was a fully closed ward with 110 beds. Kitasato University East Hospital closed at the end of March 2020, and its psychiatric services were transferred to Kitasato University Hospital in April 2020. The psychiatric ward at Kitasato University Hospital has 42 beds and is a fully closed ward. An opt‐out procedure was implemented to ensure the opportunity to refuse participation; patients who did not refuse participation were included in this study. A total of 1,998 individuals were included in this study. If the same patient was hospitalized multiple times during the data collection period, each hospitalization was treated separately.