[Death due to physical restraint in healthcare institutions]

Physical restraint is frequently used in healthcare institutions, usually in situations where the safety of the person (e.g. fall risk) or that of others (e.g. aggressive behaviour) is compromised, or where essential medical treatment is at stake. The implementation has a major impact with possible psychological consequences, physical injury and even fatal outcomes. In this retrospective study, fifteen deaths due to physical restraint are described. These have been investigated by the Forensic Medicine departments of UZ Leuven (1998 - 2018) and UZ Antwerpen (1999 - 2018). Death was caused by mechanical suffocation in all instances, mainly as a result of inadequate use of bedrails or belt restraint. These avoidable deaths are an urgent plea for a cautious and careful policy on physical restraint. Institutional guidelines and (further) training of health care personnel are of utmost importance. Central aspects are multidisciplinarity (deliberate decision-making), treatment (provoking factors), reticence (search for alternatives), proportionality (least intrusive method), due care (technical implementation), safety (increased supervision), temporality (re-evaluation of moment and duration), registration (accountability and liability) and communication (with all involved).