Falls and Restraints: Definition, Types, and Importance

This presentation provides a comprehensive overview of falls and restraints in healthcare settings. It begins by defining restraints and categorizing them into physical, chemical, and environmental types. The presentation emphasizes the importance of restraints in various scenarios, such as during surgery, managing harmful behaviors, patient identification, and preventing falls and injuries. It then delves into the potential complications associated with restraint use, including strangulation, increased agitation, confusion, and skin injuries, highlighting the need for careful application by healthcare professionals. The presentation concludes by detailing common restraint methods, such as mitts, lap restraints, bed rails, abdominal belts, and wrist restraints, providing a valuable resource for healthcare professionals and students alike. This presentation is a resource that can be found on Desklib, a platform that provides past papers and solved assignments.

Falls and restraints
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Restraints
definition
 According to the Alzheimer's society of Canada, Restraints can be
defined as devices or medicines that restrict the patients freedom or
movement.
 Its mostly used among violent patients who could injure themselves
and others as well as destroy properties.

Types of restraints
 The Alzheimer's society of Canada states that there are three main
types of restraints
 They include:
 Physical, chemical and environmental restraints.

 Physical restraints include devices used to control movement of the
patient. It involves creating physical barriers around the patient such
as walls(Scheepmans, Dierckx de Casterlé, Paquay, & Milisen, 2018).

 Chemical restraints are medicines used to restrict movement or
modify behavior.
 Examples of medicines include tranquilizers and sedatives
 Environmental restraints are those factors that change the persons
surroundings so as to restrict movement or freedom(Scheepmans,
Dierckx de Casterlé, Paquay, & Milisen, 2018).
 Example of environmental restraint is locked doors.

Importance of doing restraint
 Restraints have different uses or functions:
 They are used to keep the patient in still state during surgery.

 Restraints are also important since they control or prevent harmful
behaviors.
 Restraints are also important in that they can be used to assist in
identification of patients who are easily confused maybe due to
resemblance(Staggs, Olds, Cramer, & Shorr, 2016) .

 Restraints are also important since they prevent falls or injuries to the
patients.

Complications that are arise
due to restraints
 Despite the numerous benefits of using restraints, they are
associated with certain complications.
 The possible complications are explained in subsequent slides.

 Strangling or suffocation. Some restraints such as belts and ropes are
hazardous since the patient can strange and suffocate.
 Increased agitation and confusion. Studies indicate the restraints
contributes to agitation and confusion among patients thus they are
detrimental(Staggs, Olds, Cramer, & Shorr, 2016) .

 Skin injuries are also common occurrence due to restraints .This
mostly happens if the patient struggles to get free.
 It is therefore recommended that healthcare professionals should be
very careful when using restraints to prevent the above
complications(Staggs, Olds, Cramer, & Shorr, 2016) .

Most popular methods for
restraints
 The most common methods for restraints include:
 Mittens that are used for patients who scratch themselves or pull out
tubes.