What nursing staff members really know about physical restraints.

Although the use of physical or mechanical restraints is decreasing in long-term care facilities, there always will be some patients who require them. If a restraint is to be employed at all, it needs to be used correctly. A convenience sample of 118 nursing staff members who work in a county nursing home was asked to complete an 18-item knowledge questionnaire regarding restraint usage. Scores ranged from 6 to 17 (potential range 0-18), with a mean score of 13.2 (SD = 2.1). Overall, the staff's knowledge level can be considered good; however, there were some areas of concern. For example, a majority of the respondents (82.2%) believed that it was appropriate to keep a patient restrained lying flat in bed. Implications for administrators and rehabilitation nurse clinicians are identified.