How Nurses Balance Risk with Patient Autonomy When Making Decisions about Physical Restraint Use with Older Patients in Acute Care

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Date
2019-02-25Author
Carriere, Sarah Ann L 1982-
ORCID
0000-0002-6582-6415Type
ThesisDegree Level
MastersMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The use of physical restraints to reduce falls within the older adult population in acute care hospital settings, are regarded as an integral part of risk management and prevention of patient harm (Bigwood & Crowe, 2008). Although literature indicates that nurses apply physical restraints to prevent injuries from a fall, there appears to be no robust evidence that links this intervention to injury prevention (Oliver, Healey, & Haines, 2010). Adding to this, decision-making around physical restraint use is a complex process and is influenced by different contextual factors (Dierckx de Casterle, Goethals, & Gastmans, 2015).
The purpose of this interpretive descriptive study was to further understand how nurses balance risk with patient autonomy when making decisions about physical restraint use for falls prevention, and to provide a deeper understanding of risk and patient autonomy that are applicable and meaningful to everyday nursing practice. Perceptions related to nurses’ experience with balancing risk with patient autonomy were elicited through individual interviews with seven participants and one focus group session made up of five additional participants. The results of this research study provides insight into factors that influence the nurses’ decision-making process about whether or not to apply physical restraints.
Degree
Master of Nursing (M.N.)Department
NursingProgram
NursingSupervisor
Penz, KellyCommittee
Martin, Wanda; Bath, Brenna; Lasiuk , Gerri; Campbell, DianeCopyright Date
June 2019Subject
Risk
patient autonomy
sense of agency
decision-making
patient safety
resilience
physical restraints
unsafe behaviour
situational awareness
violence prevention