Historically, the use of coercion in psychiatric hospital admissions, and research on such use, have reflected social circumstances that impact on psychiatric care. Currently, the social emphasis on cost-saving in the U.S. and corresponding shifts in the organization, financing, and management of psychiatric and mental health care, have begun to affect research on the use of coercion in psychiatric admissions. Such research has begun to incorporate hospital organizational dynamics which affect the use of coercion in these admissions. The authors propose that this emphasis should be expanded into a comprehensive research agenda that examines the most pertinent organizational features affecting the use of coercion in psychiatric hospital admissions.