Environmental Safety Quality Measures
Restraint use reduction
Restraints are devices or drugs ordered by a physician, and used by trained personnel, to restrict movement or normal access to one’s body. In some cases restraints may be necessary to help maintain patient safety.
Certain medications are called chemical restraints because they create a calm state and keep agitated patients safe by calming down the nervous system. Sometimes these medications are used as an alternate or adjunct to physical restraints to help maintain patient safety. Emphasis should be placed on identifying the cause of unsafe behaviors and addressing those causes first.
According to the Joint Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare (JCAHO), there are several steps that can be taken to avoid restraint use. Yet restraints may still be necessary at timesto protect the patient.
St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center takes the following steps to reduce the use of restraints:
- thorough assessment and consideration of options other than restraints
- continuing education for employees on how to manage aggressive behavior and communicate with patients and families
- care planning to maximize patient interaction and observation
- staff training on safe restraint use