Perceptions of acute care nurses in the use of restraints

1. Staff nurses continue to use physical restraints in well-intended efforts to protect patients from potential harm despite the overwhelming evidence of negative consequences from this practice. The use of physical restraints remains an unresolved clinical practice issue. 2. This stratified, random sample demonstrated that LPNs consistently attached greater importance to the use of restraints than either RNs or Managers, suggesting that the educational level of nurses may have an impact on the continued use of physical restraints. 3. The survey further demonstrates that nurses are aware of many alternatives to restraint use. The authors suggest that alternatives may not be widely used because the measures are often not considered practical.