PHYSICAL RESTRAINTS IN HEALTH CARE FACILITIES 1

Restraints are usually used for the protection of patients and others when medication and verbal therapies are insufficient to control potentially violet patients. Questions are still left unanswered about how the restraints are used. What are the protocols on restraints? Are the staff members trained in using these kinds of restraints? How long should a patient be placed in these restraints? What the effects of a patient when they come out of the restraints? These question need to be answered and looked into to makes sure that the patients that are being restrained are not being neglected and are being protected.

According to the Mental Health Care Act. “To restrain means to place under control when necessary to prevent serious bodily harm to the patient or to another person, by minimal use of such force as is reasonable having regard to the physical and mental condition of the patient”(p 72). When a person is restrained, how long can a person be held in the restraints? .”While a mental health user is under restraint, he or she must be subject to observation at least every thirty minutes and such observations should be recorded in the clinical notes” (p 1). According to Dr. D Oliver. Falls injuries are