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The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of staff towards psychotropic Pro Re Nata (PRN) medication in a residential care setting.

Three male and seven female participants were interviewed using a semi-structured interview. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.

Four themes pertaining to PRN medication emerged from the data: behaviour change, calming effect, importance of timing and perceived uniqueness.

The participant group was not homogenous and findings may have been different in a more qualified cohort. This care setting may not be representative of other environments where PRN medication is administered. The findings do, however, highlight some of the challenges facing the administration of PRN medication in mental health and care settings.

The awareness of these themes is significant for improving staff knowledge, training practices and policies towards the use and administration of psychotropic PRN medication.

This is the first study to engage in a thematic analysis of staff views towards the administration of PRN medication.

In 1899 the medical practitioners of Dublin were confronted with an outbreak of a peculiar and obscure illness, characterised by symptoms which were very unusual. For want of a better explanation, the disorder, which seemed to be epidemic, was explained by the simple expedient of finding a name for it. It was labelled as “beri‐beri,” a tropical disease with very much the same clinical and pathological features as those observed at Dublin. Papers were read before certain societies, and then as the cases gradually diminished in number, the subject lost interest and was dropped.