Physical restraints in nursing homes: A qualitative study with multiple stakeholders.
Cristina Minguell, Aina M Gassó, Carles Martin-Fumadó and 2 others
PMID 38268245WHAT IT FOUND
Nursing home professionals agree physical restraints cause harm and should be exceptional, but disagree on whether a 'zero restraints' model is feasible.
They link restraint use to understaffing and note that informed consent often becomes a legal formality rather than a genuine discussion with families.
Key findings
01Participants agreed restraints have negative physical and emotional impacts and violate rights, but lacked consensus on the feasibility of eliminating them entirely.
02Healthcare professionals and legal experts linked the continued use of restraints to organizational convenience and insufficient staffing ratios.
03Informed consent for restraints was frequently described as a procedural formality to cover legal requirements, rather than a meaningful explanation to families.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study did not include the perspectives of nursing home residents or their families. The sample was limited to 19 professionals in a regional setting in Spain, restricting generalizability. The design is qualitative, so it describes perceptions and experiences rather than measuring the actual frequency or outcomes of restraint use.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The research received no specific grant from any funding agency.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the participants' agreement on the harms of restraints as evidence that a 'zero restraints' policy is clinically safe or feasible without significant organizational changes. The study highlights that professionals themselves doubt the feasibility of this model in their current working conditions.