Physically restraining elder residents of long-term care facilities from a nurses' perspective

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Nursing Research
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Physical restraint of elderly residents in long-term care facilities remains a concern.
• Understanding factors influencing nursing staff decisions regarding restraint is crucial for improving resident care and safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and analyze key variables influencing nursing staff's intended decisions on physically restraining elderly residents.
• To evaluate a research model incorporating staff and resident characteristics for predicting behavioral intentions related to physical restraint.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative study using 104 validated questionnaires administered to nursing staff in a central Israeli long-term care facility.
• The study employed a research model focusing on staff characteristics, resident characteristics, and behavioral intentions.

Main Results:

• 67.2% of responding nurses reported physically restraining residents over 10 times in the past year.
• Despite past usage, nurses reported a low intention to use physical restraints in the upcoming year.
• Intended restraint decisions were linked to staff's behavioral beliefs, attitudes, subjective norms, and resident factors like dementia, physical state, and stress.

Conclusions:

• Nursing staff's intention to use physical restraints is influenced by a combination of personal beliefs, social norms, and resident-specific conditions.
• Interventions aimed at reducing physical restraint use should address staff attitudes and provide strategies for managing resident behaviors and conditions.