Physical Restraints: Consensus of a Research Definition Using a Modified Delphi Technique.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Clinical Medicine
• Healthcare Policy

Background:

• Physical restraint is a common practice in clinical care settings.
• Varied definitions of physical restraint hinder research comparability and intervention development.
• An internationally accepted definition is crucial for advancing research and clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish an internationally accepted research definition of physical restraint.
• To facilitate consistent measurement and comparison of physical restraint prevalence across studies and countries.
• To guide future research and interventions aimed at reducing physical restraint use.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search identified existing definitions.
• A three-round, web-based, modified Delphi technique was employed.
• An international panel of 48 experts in physical restraint from 14 countries participated.

Main Results:

• Thirty-four initial definitions were identified.
• After three rounds of consensus-building, 95.7% of experts agreed on a new definition.
• The agreed-upon definition is: "Physical restraint is defined as any action or procedure that prevents a person's free body movement to a position of choice and/or normal access to his/her body by the use of any method, attached or adjacent to a person's body that he/she cannot control or remove easily."

Conclusions:

• A multidisciplinary, international expert panel reached consensus on a research definition for physical restraints.
• This standardized definition is essential for improving the comparability of physical restraint prevalence studies globally.
• The established definition will support the development of targeted interventions to reduce the use of physical restraints in clinical care.