Attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and emotions of the nursing staff toward patient restraint.
Physical restraints are used as a psychiatric intervention to protect psychiatric inpatients from self-harm or harm to others, by securing a safe environment for the patients and staff. We examined nurses' attitudes, environmental concerns, and emotional responses to physical restraint of psychiatric inpatients, using a questionnaire we constructed expressly for this study. Nurses reported that the main criteria for restraint were endangerment of the patient's self or surroundings. Bothersome actions and environmental conditions also significantly impacted nurses' decisions to physically restrain patients. Emotional reactions to restraining procedures as experienced by staff and as perceived for patients were generally negative. Nurses should be trained to deal with violent patients, establish limits, and recognize the therapeutic aspect of restraints in order to respond assertively.
Gelkopf
Marc
M
Lev Hasharon Mental Health Center, P.O. Box 90000, Netanya 42100, Israel. emgelkopf@013.net.il
Roffe
Ziva
Z
Behrbalk
Pnina
P
Melamed
Yuval
Y
Werbloff
Nomi
N
Bleich
Avraham
A
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003617:Dangerous Behavior; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000523:psychology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology