Preventing the use of physical restraints on residents newly admitted to psycho-geriatric nursing home wards: a cluster-randomized trial.
BACKGROUND
Although there is an urgent need for restraint-free care, the number of randomized clinical trials on preventing or reducing physical restraints has been limited.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effectiveness of an educational intervention to prevent the use of physical restraints on residents newly admitted to psycho-geriatric nursing home wards.


METHODS
Cluster-randomized trial.


METHODS
Fourteen Dutch psycho-geriatric nursing home wards.


METHODS
138 residents admitted to 14 psycho-geriatric nursing home wards after baseline measurement of the trial were selected, out of which 33 residents died or informed consent had not been obtained. A total of 105 residents were included in the analyses.


METHODS
The nursing home wards were randomly assigned to either educational intervention or control status. The educational intervention consisted of an educational programme for nurses combined with a nurse specialist's consultation. The data were collected at 1, 4 and 8 months post-intervention. The use of physical restraints was measured by blinded, trained observers on four separate occasions over a 24-h period. The Minimum Data Set was used to determine residents' characteristics, such as their cognitive status.


RESULTS
During the study period, no statistically significant differences between the experimental group and the control group regarding restraint status, restraint intensity, multiple restraints and types of restraints were found. One month post-intervention, 38% of the residents newly admitted to the experimental wards were restrained. Bilateral bedrails were the most frequently used restraints at Post-test 1 (24%), Post-test 2 (23%) and Post-test 3 (28%), followed by the use of infrared systems at Post-tests 2 and 3.


CONCLUSIONS
An educational programme combined with the consultation of a nurse specialist does not prevent the use of physical restraints on residents newly admitted to psycho-geriatric nursing home wards. Although other studies have shown promising results with the effectiveness of these types of intervention on restraint reduction, the development of additional interventions to prevent restraint usage is recommended.
Huizing
Anna R
AR
Department of Health Care Studies, Section of Nursing Science, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
Hamers
Jan P H
JP
Gulpers
Math J M
MJ
Berger
Martijn P F
MP
D005853:Geriatrics; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010343:Patient Admission; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing; D012149:Restraint, Physical