The Other Side of the Coin: Nurses' Views and Behavior on Physical Restraint

Aim: To study the views and behaviors of the nurses who apply physical restraint. Research Design: The study was designed as a descriptive study. The data were collected using a questionnaire form and analyzed by chi-square tests. The study was conducted at a university hospital. The convenience sample consisted of 93 voluntary nurses. Findings: The decision to initiate/terminate the physical restraint is mostly (63.4%) made by the physician and the nurse together, and frequently (96.8%) wrist belts are used. While one-third of the nurses (33.4%) apply the restraint for more than 7 days, 21.4% never loosen the physical restraint. 28% of the nurses face resistance due to the restraint. 78.5% of the nurses obtain informed consent for the restraint whereas 51.6% believe that the consent is not necessary. Only 9.7% of the nurses record the practice to the patient observation chart. Additionally, there is a relationship between the unit, patients they cared for daily, years in the profession and the nurses' views on restraint (p