Characteristics of patients in restraint: fifteen-year analysis of the Assaulted Staff Action Program (ASAP) with EMS implications.

Research on the demographic and precipitant characteristics of restrained patients has documented that younger male/female patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, affective disorder, or personality disorder are at risk of being restrained when acutely psychotic or confronted with excess sensory stimulation or denial of services. However many patients with these same characteristics are not restrained Thus, these variables have yielded little predictive power. This study compared restrained/nonrestrained subjects on the demographic, precipitant variables and added three clinical variables (past violence to others, personal victimization, and substance use disorder) to assess the possible predictive power of clinical variables. Demographic and precipitant variables were similar to previous research findings. Violence toward others in combination with personal victimization was associated with higher restraint usage. The implications of the findings for emergency services are outlined.