Assessment of nurses' knowledge, attitudes and practice in the application of measures of physical restraint of patients

Abstract

Introduction: Physical restraint is a frequently debated procedure due to controversial ethical and legal issues related to patient autonomy and dignity. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practice of nurses regarding the use of physical restraint measures on patients and to determine whether there is a difference between the level of knowledge, attitudes and practice of nurses regarding the use of physical restraint measures to their sociodemographic and professional characteristics. Material and methods: This study was conducted as a cross-sectional study at three healthcare institutions of different medical care levels (n = 253). Instruments used in this research included a questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitude, intention, and practice and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for statistical analysis of the data, and statistical significance was determined at p < 0.05. Results: Nurses have a moderate level of knowledge, a positive attitude, and good practice in applying measures of physical restraint of patients. A significant difference in the level of knowledge regarding the application of measures of physical restraint of patients was determined by the age of the nurses, as well as that nurses with a positive attitude towards the application of measures of physical restraint of patients have a better practice. Conclusion: By implementing an appropriate educational pro-gram, which is certainly mandatory for all employees in the health sector, and creating a guide for the proper use of measures for physical restraint of patients, it is possible to influence the improvement of the quality of care and treatment of patients.