Attitudes of Dutch, German and Swiss nursing staff towards physical restraint use in nursing home residents, a cross-sectional study

Objective

To investigate the attitudes of nursing staff towards restraint measures and restraint use in nursing home residents, and to investigate if these attitudes are influenced by country of residence and individual characteristics of nursing staff.

Methods

A questionnaire on attitudes regarding restraints (subscales: reasons, consequences, and appropriateness of restraint use) and opinions regarding the restrictiveness of restraint measures and discomfort in using them was distributed to a convenience sample of nursing staff in The Netherlands (n = 166), Germany (n = 258), and Switzerland (n = 184).

Results

In general, nursing staff held rather neutral opinions regarding the use of physical restraints, but assessed the use of restraints as an appropriate measure in their clinical practice. Gender and age were not related to attitudes of nursing staff, but we did find some differences in attitudes between nursing staff from the different countries. Dutch nursing staff were most positive regarding the reasons of restraint use (p < 0.01), but were less positive than German and Swiss nursing staff regarding the appropriateness of restraint use (p < 0.01). Swiss nursing staff were less positive than German nursing staff regarding the appropriateness of restraint use (p < 0.01). Nursing staff with longer clinical experience showed a more negative attitude towards restraint use than nursing staff with less experience (p < 0.05) and charge nurses had the least positive attitude towards restraint use (p < 0.05).Opinions regarding restraint measures differed between the three countries. The use of bilateral bedrails was considered as a moderate restrictive measure; the use of belts was rated as the most restrictive measure and nursing staff expressed pronounced discomfort on the use of these measures.

Conclusions

Nursing staff from three European countries have different attitudes and opinions regarding the use of physical restraints. The results underline the importance of more tailored, culturally sensitive interventions to reduce physical restraints in nursing homes.