Experience of patients with restraints in acute care hospitals and the view of their relatives: A qualitative study.

Only four patients and five relatives were interviewed, from two departments in one Swiss university hospital, so the findings cannot be generalised. Recruitment was done by clinical nursing specialists, which may have created selection or reporting bias. Data saturation could not be ensured because recruitment was very difficult. Most patients or the patients described by relatives had memory difficulties, which may have affected their accounts. Patients were interviewed about restraint experiences while some shared rooms with other patients, which may have made disclosure harder. The first author had prior professional experience with restraints, which may have influenced interviews. No sociodemographic data were collected, so it is not possible to see how background may have shaped responses. Intensive care patients were not recruited, although some participants remembered intensive care experiences.

The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Do not use this study to conclude that restraints are effective or safe. It interviewed four patients and five relatives about experiences, measured no outcomes, and could not reach saturation.