Clinical practice guideline: 1-hour face-to-face assessment of a patient in a mechanical restraint

Face-to-face assessment within 1 hour after placing a patient in a restraint has been the standard of care following regulatory requirements set forth by the federal government in 1999. This rule, although widely followed and applauded as optimum patient care, has little evidence of a standardized format for what constitutes the examination. Health care providers agree that a face-to-face assessment is warranted; however, no set parameters exist for what constitutes the key elements of such an assessment. This clinical practice guideline offers a specific outline to follow that emphasizes the safety of the patient being placed in a mechanical restraint for a behavioral health emergency.