Transition to a restraint-free inpatient behavioral health setting (6 May 2024)

Summary

The use of restrictive interventions, such as mechanical restraints, has been a common practice in behavioural health settings since the field’s early infancy. The use of restraints has a harmful impact on both patients and providers alike, working against the therapeutic treatment environment aimed to support the healing journey. In this quality improvement project, the use of mechanical restraints was fully eliminated from a 252-bed inpatient setting in the US. This was achieved using a strategy of leadership, workplace development and data, and performance was sustained over the following year.