Assessment of Knowledge of Staff Nurses regarding Use of Physical Restraints

Abstract

The use of physical restraints in a hospital is often considered as an accepted and perhaps the unquestioned practice as far as patient safety is concerned. Thus, the nurses’ knowledge regarding their use is of paramount importance. The current study was taken up to assess the knowledge of nurses regarding the use of physical restraints at the Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), New Delhi. Convenience sampling technique was used to collect data from 40 staff nurses. A self-administered structured knowledge questionnaire was used to assess the general awareness and nursing responsibilities with the use of physical restraints. The findings revealed that majority (80%) of staff nurses had good knowledge while 20% had average knowledge regarding use of physical restraints. The knowledge score was significantly associated with total clinical experience and the experience of working in psychiatric setting of staff nurses. The nurses demonstrated highest mean score in the area of general awareness about physical restraints followed by their role in assessment, care and mandatory documentation. The small sample size was the major limitation of the study, yet it indicated the need for improvement of the knowledge of the staff nurses regarding the nursing care of patients with physical restraints and need for mandatory documentation.