A nurse-led, unit-based program to reduce restraint use in acute care

Although the effectiveness of restraints is not proven, the dangers of restraints are clear. Many advocate for the reduction of restraint use in tertiary care settings. The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is setting the standard by insisting that hospital administrations create a culture that emphasizes restraint reduction. Despite the importance of this task, very little is available in the literature to direct or guide this effort. The purpose of this article is to describe a unit-based Restraint Reduction Program that was successful on a neurology/neurosurgery unit.