Version 1
: Received: 25 June 2024 / Approved: 26 June 2024 / Online: 26 June 2024 (14:27:40 CEST)
How to cite:
Steinert, T.; Maierhofer, B.; Schmid, P.; Hirsch, S. Novel Approaches Needed: A Suggestion for an Alternative to Mechanical Restraint in the 21st Century. Preprints2024, 2024061850. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.1850.v1
Steinert, T.; Maierhofer, B.; Schmid, P.; Hirsch, S. Novel Approaches Needed: A Suggestion for an Alternative to Mechanical Restraint in the 21st Century. Preprints 2024, 2024061850. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.1850.v1
Steinert, T.; Maierhofer, B.; Schmid, P.; Hirsch, S. Novel Approaches Needed: A Suggestion for an Alternative to Mechanical Restraint in the 21st Century. Preprints2024, 2024061850. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.1850.v1
APA Style
Steinert, T., Maierhofer, B., Schmid, P., & Hirsch, S. (2024). Novel Approaches Needed: A Suggestion for an Alternative to Mechanical Restraint in the 21st Century. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.1850.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Steinert, T., Peter Schmid and Sophie Hirsch. 2024 "Novel Approaches Needed: A Suggestion for an Alternative to Mechanical Restraint in the 21st Century" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202406.1850.v1
Abstract
Despite many calls to reduce or eliminate the use of mechanical restraint, it is still widely used in many countries. Studies using patient interviews have a very clear message: Patients experience mechanical restraint as the most humiliating intervention. There seems to be a lack of alternatives with violent patients. We developed a method using 30 kg bags, originally designed for fitness purposes, to be attached to a patient's wrist or ankle under 1:1 supervision. The method was tested with 10 experienced nurses and de-escalation trainers. A video was made and presented to six outpatients who had previously experienced mechanical restraint. All participants were interviewed. Transcribed interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. All participants approved of the method as a milder and less humiliating alternative to mechanical restraint. Nurses' main concerns were the risk of falls and the use of the bags as a weapon. The latter could be controlled by using an additional bag. Patients were generally positive, especially if there was a history of abuse. The method should be further developed to replace at least part of mechanical restraints. As with all ‘milder means‘, care should be taken to really replace restraint and not to introduce additional coercion.
Keywords
restraint; alternative; coercion; milder means; human dignity
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Nursing
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
