Use of physical restraints on elderly patients: an exploratory study of the perceptions of nurses in Hong Kong

A qualitative study was designed to explore nurses' perceptions of the use of physical restraints on elderly patients in Hong Kong. Content analysis of semistructured interviews with 20 registered nurses working in medical and geriatric settings of two regional hospitals revealed that although nurses generally had mixed feelings about th use of physical restraints on elderly patients, they did not question this 'routine' practice and their knowledge about the consequences and alternatives to the use of restraint was limited. It was found that nurses had an overriding concern in ensuring elderly patients' physical safety and using restraints therefore provided thee with a sense of security, The deleterious impact of restraint on the care received by elderly patients was largely unrecognized, Implications for practice and future studies are discussed in the light of these findings.