Decreasing Physical Restraint in Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitals: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Physical restraints are used in acute inpatient psychiatric settings.
• Minimizing restraint use is a key goal in patient care.
• Effective strategies for reducing physical restraint application require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review methods for decreasing physical restraint application in acute inpatient psychiatric hospitals.
• To identify evidence-based interventions for reducing restraint use.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed.
• The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed.
• Keywords related to physical restraint were used to identify relevant studies.

Main Results:

• Three data-based studies met the eligibility criteria for the review.
• Findings suggest multimodal intervention strategies may decrease the duration of physical restraint use.
• High-quality evidence supporting specific intervention strategies is currently lacking.

Conclusions:

• Multimodal interventions show potential for reducing physical restraint hours in psychiatric settings.
• There is a need for more rigorous research with standardized measures.
• Further investigation is required to validate specific strategies for restraint reduction.