Physical intervention: a review of the literature on its use, staff and patient views, and the impact of training

As a principal control measure, physical intervention is intended to be a skilled manual, or hands-on, method of physical restraint implemented by trained individuals, with the intention of controlling the aggressive patient, to restore safety in the clinical environment. Physical intervention is however a contentious practice. There have been reports in the literature of negative psychological views from staff and patients on the procedure. Although formal structured training was introduced in response to concerns around patient safety during restraint, concerns remain that PI is sometimes construed as a stand-alone violence prevention initiative. Its potential for misuse, and overuse, in corrupted cultures of care has emerged as a social policy issue. The following paper critically explores the literature on training in physical intervention in the United Kingdom.     

The Use of Physical Interventions with People with Intellectual Disabilities and Challenging Behaviour – the Experiences of Service Users and Staff Members

Background The views of both service users with intellectual disability and their support staff on the use of physical interventions are largely unknown. The research that does exist describes a largely negative pattern of responses. The present study aimed to explore the personal impact of receiving and implementing physical interventions, and also how service users and staff felt the use of such procedures impacted on each other. Method Eight service user/staff pairs were interviewed about their experiences of physical intervention within 1 week of their mutual involvement in a behavioural incident requiring restraint use. A qualitative methodology was employed to obtain views on a non‐pain compliance approach to physical intervention. Results Service user and staff experiences were intrinsically linked, highlighting the interactional nature of physical interventions. It was apparent that experiences of physical intervention were dependent on far more than the application of techniques alone. Conclusions Participants’ accounts were primarily negative. Service user and staff experiences were clearly affected by their appraisals of each other's behaviour throughout the physical intervention process.     

Perspectives on the experience of being physically restrained: an integrative review of the qualitative literature

Publications providing information on the safe use of physical restraints, guidelines for restraint use, and journal articles on the care of mental health patients are frequently devoid of information regarding patients' perspectives on physical restraint. As physical restraint is a common procedure in many settings, the purpose of this review is to examine and summarize the qualitative literature on patients' perspectives on being physically restrained, from 1966 through to 2009. A formal integrative review of existing qualitative literature on patients' perspectives of physical restraint was conducted. Studies were critiqued, evaluated for their strength, and analysed for key themes and meanings. Twelve studies were ultimately identified and included in the review. Four themes emerged from the review, including negative psychological impact, retraumatization, perceptions of unethical practices, and the broken spirit. While little qualitative research on patients' perceptions of physical restraint exists, findings within the current literature reveal serious implications for patients and nurses alike. Additional research into physical restraint implications for the patient-nurse dyad is needed, and nurses should approach the use of physical restraint with caution and awareness of their potential psychological impact.     

Perceptions of nurses working with psychiatric consumers regarding the elimination of seclusion and restraint in psychiatric inpatient settings and emergency departments: An Australian survey

Seclusion and restraint continue to be used across psychiatric inpatient and emergency settings, despite calls for elimination and demonstrated efficacy of reduction initiatives. This study investigated nurses’ perceptions regarding reducing and eliminating the use of these containment methods with psychiatric consumers. Nurses (n = 512) across Australia completed an online survey examining their views on the possibility of elimination of seclusion, physical restraint, and mechanical restraint as well as perceptions of these practices and factors influencing their use. Nurses reported working in units where physical restraint, seclusion, and, to a lesser extent, mechanical restraint were used. These were viewed as necessary last resort methods to maintain staff and consumer safety, and nurses tended to disagree that containment methods could be eliminated from practice. Seclusion was considered significantly more favourably than mechanical restraint with the elimination of mechanical restraint seen as more of a possibility than seclusion or physical restraint. Respondents accepted that use of these methods was deleterious to relationships with consumers. They also felt that containment use was a function of a lack of resources. Factors perceived to reduce the likelihood of seclusion/restraint included empathy and rapport between staff and consumers and utilizing trauma‐informed care principles. Nurses were faced with threatening situations and felt only moderately safe at work, but believed they were able to use their clinical skills to maintain safety. The study suggests that initiatives at multiple levels are needed to help nurses to maintain safety and move towards realizing directives to reduce and, where possible, eliminate restraint use.     

Impact of eLearning course on nurses' professional competence in seclusion and restraint practices: a randomized controlled study (ISRCTN32869544)

Education on the care of aggressive and disturbed patients is fragmentary. eLearning could ensure the quality of such education, but data on its impact on professional competence in psychiatry are lacking. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of ePsychNurse.Net, an eLearning course, on psychiatric nurses' professional competence in seclusion and restraint and on their job satisfaction and general self-efficacy. In a randomized controlled study, 12 wards were randomly assigned to ePsychNurse.Net (intervention) or education as usual (control). Baseline and 3-month follow-up data on nurses' knowledge of coercion-related legislation, physical restraint and seclusion, their attitudes towards physical restraint and seclusion, job satisfaction and general self-efficacy were analysed for 158 completers. Knowledge (primary outcome) of coercion-related legislation improved in the intervention group, while knowledge of physical restraint improved and knowledge of seclusion remained unchanged in both groups. General self-efficacy improved in the intervention group also attitude to seclusion in the control group. In between-group comparison, attitudes to seclusion (one of secondary outcomes) favoured the control group. Although the ePsychNurse.Net demonstrated only slight advantages over conventional learning, it may be worth further development with, e.g. flexible time schedule and individualized content.     

Psychiatric nurses' thoughts and feelings about restraint use: a decision dilemma

Patients continue to be physically restrained in psychiatric in-patient units. Studies concerned with staff-related variables have suggested that the emotional reactions of professionals to violent or potentially violent patients may influence their use of restrictive measures. However, no research existed that described psychiatric nurses' thoughts and feelings while they were involved in restraint situations nor what effects their thoughts and feelings had on their decision to restrain. Therefore, an ethnographic qualitative study was conducted in order to describe systematically nurses' thoughts and feelings toward restraint use in the in-patient psychiatric setting. The conceptual approach guiding the study was Etzioni's (1992) theoretical work on the role of normative-affective factors in decision making. Following ethical approval of the study, ethnographic interviews were conducted with six nurses from an in-patient psychiatric unit who had participated in a situation involving the physical restraint of a patient. The analysis of the nurses' thoughts and feelings revealed that the restraint situation represented a decision dilemma for them. This overall finding was supported by four themes: (1) the framing of the situation: the potential for imminent harm; (2) the unsuccessful search for alternatives to physical restraints; (3) the conflicted nurse; and (4) the contextual conditions of restraint. The results indicated that restraint use is more complex than is currently conveyed in the literature in that normative-affective factors influenced nurses' restraint decisions. The findings advance our understanding of why restraints continue to be used in psychiatric units. Further research is necessary to examine the findings in other settings and with a larger and more diverse population in order to draw definitive conclusions about the continued use of physical restraints in the care of patients on psychiatric units in hospitals.     

An exploratory account of registered nurses'' experience of patient aggression in both mental health and general nursing settings

Until relatively recently, aggression and violence in nursing has been an area of little discussion (Poster & Ryan 1993). Today, concerns are rising about escalating levels of violence towards nurses (Wykes 1994, Whittington 1997). In response, this paper explores registered nurses' experiences of patient aggression encountered in the acute inpatient general and mental health settings. Critical incidents from registered nurses in both areas are examined and analyzed in relation to existing literature. The aim of the research is to ascertain if differences exist or similarities prevail. Findings reveal that the two areas have similar problems in terms of types of aggression. Verbal and 'minor' types of aggression are the most problematic. Also, the 'biomedical model' of care is evident in both settings and possibly underpins chosen approaches to aggression management. The repeated use of chemical and physical restraint is apparent. The main comparison identified between the two groups relates to nursing control over situations involving violent patients. Mental health nurses seem to consistently take control of aggressive situations whilst general nurses tend to rely more heavily upon the input of others (medical staff, mental health teams and the police) when intervening. These two nursing specialties therefore have much to learn from each other in terms of nursing experience and possible future approaches to the management of aggressive patients.     

对精神疾病患者实施保护性约束的知识、态度与行为调查

目的了解护士对精神疾病患者实施保护性约束的现状。方法使用自行设计问卷对我院从事精神科临床护理工作的110名护士进行调查。结果护士对精神疾病患者实施保护性约束的知识、态度和行为呈正相关,即对约束知识了解越多,越能适当地实施约束行为;约束态度得分越高,则越可恰当地使用保护性约束。结论护士应不断加强业务知识和法律知识学习,转变服务观念,规范护理行为,才能更好地为精神疾病患者服务。     

Further thoughts on the process of restraint

The physical restraint of a disturbed person is a subject constant of psychiatry and is a challenge that particularly faces nurses working in acute inpatient settings. While other approaches to psychiatric treatment have been discarded (e.g. punishment, blood letting, trepanation, deep insulin therapy and so on) or evolved into new treatments (the use of medication), the act of physical restraint has remained largely unmodified. Given the ubiquity of physical restraint in psychiatry, particularly as a nursing procedure, the absence of a sustained body of research is notable. This essay examines some of the historical underpinnings of the use of restraint in psychiatry brought into sharp focus by the David Bennett Inquiry Report (2003) and the National Institute of Clinical Effective (NICE) guidelines (2005) on the management of violence.     

Clinical decision making on the use of physical restraint in intensive care units

Physical restraint is a common nursing intervention in intensive care units and nurses often use it to ensure patients' safety and to prevent unexpected accidents. However, existing literature indicated that the use of physical restraint is a complex one because of inadequate rationales, the negative physical and emotional effects on patients, but the lack of perceived alternatives. This paper is aimed to interpret the clinical decision-making theories related to the use of physical restraint in intensive care units in order to facilitate our understanding on the use of physical restraint and to evaluate the quality of decisions made by nurses. By reviewing the literature, intuition and heuristics are the main decision-making strategies related to the use of physical restraint in intensive care units because the rapid and reflexive nature of intuition and heuristics allow nurses to have a rapid response to urgent and emergent cases. However, it is problematic if nurses simply count their decision-making on experience rather than incorporate research evidence into clinical practice because of inadequate evidence to support the use of physical restraint. Besides that, such a rapid response may lead nurses to make decisions without adequate assessment and thinking and therefore biases and errors may be generated. Therefore, despite the importance of intuition and heuristics in decision-making in acute settings on the use of physical restraint, it is recommended that nurses should incorporate research evidence with their experience to make decisions and adequate assessment before implementing physical restraint is also necessary.     

The use of physical restraints to psychogeriatric patients in Hong Kong

The use of physical restraint has been a controversial intervention in the nursing management of hospitalized elderly patients in many countries. This ethnographic study was conducted in one psychogeriatric ward in Hong Kong in order to explore what determines psychiatric nurses' decisions to use restraints on their elderly patients. By comparing the findings of three data sources, comprising semistructured interviews, observations, and clinical records, five main themes were identified with regard to the nurses decision of restraint use. They included the rationale of physical restraint, consideration of alternative measures, consideration of adverse consequences, ethical considerations, and policy and documentation of restraint use. The findings of this study demonstrate that nurses must question the established practice myths about restraint use being the best way to maintain patient safety. Most importantly, nurses need cognitive and ethical preparation to face different situations in which physical restraint may be used.     

Patient restraint positions in a psychiatric inpatient service

AIM: The use of physical intervention on psychiatric inpatient units continues to be a source of debate and controversy. Some studies and national clinical guidelines have identified particular restraint positions as both dangerous and undesirable. The following study attempts to identify clinical variables that may make physical restraint in a particular position more likely. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey design was adopted and data was obtained from a violence and aggression audit form used by the trust. This form has 122 items to be completed by staff within 72 hours of an episode of patient aggression or self-harm. Ten variables were selected for scrutiny on the basis of their potential clinical importance. RESULTS: The survey found that prone restraint was significantly associated with others reporting the patient's imminent violence and high-intensity observation after the incident. Supine restraint was significantly associated with the patient being withdrawn and/or refusing to communicate prior to the episode and with a high severity incident rating after the incident. CONCLUSION: If we work on the premise that restraint in the prone position is less desirable than interventions undertaken with the patient in the supine position, this study clearly suggests that we have an opportunity to influence the nature of intervention through quite minimal changes to training programmes. It is important that any change in emphasis around intervention does not create a sense that controlled descent to the floor is inevitable. The principle of its use as a 'last resort in the event of loss of control on the feet' has to be maintained.     

Preliminary outcomes of a trial to reduce conflict and containment on acute psychiatric wards: City Nurses

Acute psychiatric wards experience high levels of conflict behaviours (violence, absconding, self-harm, rule breaking and medication refusal) by patients. These events cause stress and injury to staff and patients. Their management through containment methods (e.g. sedation, restraint, seclusion) is contentious, and nurses are ambivalent about their use. The aim of this study was to reduce conflict and containment on two acute psychiatric wards through changes in nurses' beliefs, attitudes and practices. Two 'City Nurses' were employed to work with two acute wards for 1 year, assisting with the implementation of changes according to a working model of conflict and containment generation, itself based on previous research. Evaluation was via before-and-after measures. Statistically and clinically significant decreases in conflict occurred, with falls in aggression, absconding and self-harm. Ward atmosphere improved and nurse-patient interaction rates increased. There was no significant change in containment method use. Significant reductions in aggression, absconding and self-harm can be achieved on acute psychiatric wards. However, it does not appear that containment can be reduced, even through large reductions in conflict.     

Use of physical restraints on elderly patients: an exploratory study of the perceptions of nurses in Hong Kong

A qualitative study was designed to explore nurses' perceptions of the use of physical restraints on elderly patients in Hong Kong. Content analysis of semi-structured interviews with 20 registered nurses working in medical and geriatric settings of two regional hospitals revealed that although nurses generally had mixed feelings about the use of physical restraints on elderly patients, they did not question this 'routine' practice and their knowledge about the consequences and alternatives to the use of restraint was limited. It was found that nurses had an overriding concern in ensuring elderly patients' physical safety and using restraints therefore provided them with a sense of security. The deleterious impact of restraint on the care received by elderly patients was largely unrecognized. Implications for practice and future studies are discussed in the light of these findings.     

Using restraint with nursing home residents: a qualitative study of nursing staff perceptions and decision-making

The study reported in this paper applied a qualitative and interpretative approach to nursing staff perceptions of the use of restraint with elderly nursing home residents, and into nurses' decision-making on restraint use. The data were collected using unstructured interviews with a purposive sample of 20 trained and untrained nursing staff from two Swiss nursing homes. Data analysis was based on Colaizzi's phenomenological method. Three main themes were extracted from the data: (1) understanding the term restraint, (2) situations in which the decision to apply restraint is considered justified and (3) situations in which nursing staff are uncertain about the use of restraint. The underlying bases with respect to decision-making were: understanding restraint, the rights and responsibilities of both residents and staff, and the duties of staff. Staff members were ambiguous in their understanding of restraint and they showed positive as well as confused attitudes towards its use. Their behaviour was defensive and protective rather than challenging. Further research is required on what is meant by safety in care of the elderly nursing today. In nursing practice, as far as issues of restraint are concerned, greater attention should be devoted to the relationship between elderly residents' self-determination and responsibility for their actions.