Knowledge, attitude and practice of intensive care unit nurses about physical restraint

ABSTRACT Background: Physical restraint is mainly used in intensive care units (ICUs) to prevent delirious or agitated patients from removing tubes and lines connected to them. However, inappropriate use of physical restraint could have many detrimental physical effects on the patient, such as nerve damage, asphyxiation or even death. Aim: The aim of the study is to investigate nurses? knowledge, attitude and practice of physical restraint in ICUs in Jordanian hospitals, about which little is known. Design: A descriptive and cross-sectional design was used. Methods: A convenience sample of 400 nurses working in three public hospitals and one university-affiliated hospital from different geographical regions in Jordan was selected. An Arabic version of the Physical Restraint Questionnaire (PRQ) was used to collect the data. Results: A total of 300 completed questionnaires were returned, with a response rate of 75%. Of the total sample, 51% were males, 65.7% were from public hospitals and 80.3% held a bachelor?s degree. The mean score in the knowledge section was 9.7 (SD=1.7) out of 15; in the attitude section, it was 24.7 (SD=4.8) out of 33; and in the practice section, it was 30.9 (SD=3.5) out of 42. Nurses who reported previous related education scored higher on the knowledge section (mean=10.7; SD=1.4) than nurses who reported no previous related education (mean=9.1; SD=1.6; p<.001). However, no significant differences between these categories were found in relation to attitude and practice. Conclusions: The study demonstrated some lack of knowledge and unsafe practices regarding physical restraint in ICUs in Jordan. It suggests improving nurses? knowledge, attitude and practices through in-service education on best practice for physical restraint, developing policies/guidelines and providing adequate staff and equipment to maintain patient safety and prevent complications. Relevance to clinical practice: Conducting education programmes on physical restraint for ICU nurses and providing other preventive strategies are important in improving nurses? knowledge, attitude and practice.