Details Created: 28 May 2015 Last Updated: 28 May 2015
Everyone Deserves Dignity and Freedom: Restraint- free individuals can eat, dress and move independently; maintain their muscle and strength; interact with others; and maintain their freedom and dignity. Show
A physical restraint is any object or device that the individual cannot remove easily which restricts freedom of movement or normal access to one’s body. Examples include vest restraints, waist belts, geri-chairs, hand mitts, lap trays, and siderails. It is unrealistic to expect that all falls and injuries can be prevented. Poor outcomes of restraints
Physical restraints are used in place of good care because:
Restraints are most often used on:
Physical restraint use in Australia: We don't have any readily available statistics for nursing home residents who are/have been restrained. Nationally, over 6% of nursing home residents are restrained. The Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign has set a goal of 5% or less for all nursing homes in the country. In many nursing homes across the country, residents are restraint-free without any increase in serious injuries. Restraint reduction strategiesRestraint reduction involves the whole facility, including managers, nursing staff, physical and recreational therapists, personal care attendants, and housekeeping personnel. Family members and advocates can encourage the facility’s efforts, and expect and insist that the facility:
Nursing homes can implement specific programs for reducing physical restraints, including:
Where restraint is clinically necessary to prevent harm, the health service organisation has systems that:
Harm relating to the use of restraint is minimised. Reflective questionsWhat strategies does the health service organisation have in place to minimise the use of restraint? Are members of the workforce competent to implement restraint safely? How does the health service organisation ensure that the workforce is aware of safety implications of different forms of physical and mechanical restraint with different patient populations? What processes (for example, benchmarking, routine review) are used to review the use of restraints in the health service organisation? Key tasks
Strategies for improvement |