Patient Insights into Physical Restraints in the Emergency Department

The use of chemical or physical restraints for extremely agitated patients in the emergency department (ED) is sometimes necessary to ensure the safety of the patient, the care team, and other patients when de-escalation techniques fail. These investigators interviewed 25 patients who had been physically restrained for agitation during an ED visit about their experiences.

Substance use (40%), mental illness (24%), or both (24%) were the most common patient-reported reasons for agitation. Attitudes towards restraints varied: 36% had a negative perception, 40% had mixed opinions, and 24% perceived restraints as positive or blamed themselves for their use. Three major themes emerged: (1) The restraint experience was harmful and not patient-cent…