The use of physical restraint in mental health nursing: An examination of principles, practice and implications for training
| Pages | 13-24 |
| Published date | 01 December 2005 |
| Date | 01 December 2005 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14668203200500021 |
| Author | Joy Duxbury,Brodie Paterson |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Sociology |
The Journal of Adult Protection Volume 7 Issue 4 • December 2005 © Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Limited 13
key words
aggression
physical restraint
guidelines
training
mental health
safety
protection
abstract
Tackling the problem of
aggression and violence in health
care is high on the agenda for
healthcare professionals. In an
endeavour to protect both patients
and staff alike when managing
aggressive behaviour,the use of
physical restraint is under scrutiny,
particularly as a result of the
reported deaths of a number of
patients whilst being restrained. The
challenges of employing this type of
intervention, implications for safe
and effective practices and the need
for the suitable training of staff are
explored in this paper.
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Introduction
The incidence of patient aggression and violence in mental
health settings is reportedly on the increase and raises many
questions as to the safety of both patients and staff. In the
United Kingdom, the Healthcare Commission (2005) recently
completed a national audit of violence on a range of mental
health and learning disability wards and units and found
continued levels of violence to be significant. In 2002/03, the
National Audit Office (NAO) recorded a total of 95,501
assaults on National Health Service staff compared to 65,000
in previous years (NAO, 2003). The use of restraint when
managing violent patients is one area that is of particular
concern when endeavouring to address this problem and this
paper examines the recommended principles and practice of
physical restraint, the identified reasons for its use, the
associated legal frameworks, perspectives on its efficacy and
priorities for training in the light of current events. These
factors clearly contribute to the debate as to the value and
safety of existing practices for the protection of patients with
mental health problems and the nursing staff who care for
them when faced with aggression.
The use of physical restraint
in mental health nursing:
An examination of
principles, practice and
implications for training Joy Duxbury
Divisional Leader for Mental Health, Nursing
Department, University of Central Lancashire
and
Brodie Paterson
Professor of Nursing, Department of Nursing
and Midwifery, University of Stirling
Research paper
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