My hospital did what they called "skin checks." Not exactly a strip search, but fairly close. They were a dual diagnosis unit which meant they not only treated psychiatric patients but also had chemical dependency patients on detox. It was a locked unit and their philosophy behind the skin check was to check for any sores, wounds, cuts, bruises, etc. upon admittance (probably as an FYI in case someone claimed being harmed within the unit). They had all patients initially put on a hospital gown so they could go through clothing being sure nothing was being brought in that was considered contraband for the unit. Then, they didn't remove the entire gown. In fact, they would expose one arm, then cover it up; then the other arm, then cover it up. Then a leg, and cover it up, etc. Always done by nurses; always with more than one person in the room for safety. They did their best to be respectful about it, but it was still the hardest part of the admitting process.