Perceptions of physical restraints use in the elderly among registered nurses and nurse assistants in a single acute care hospital.

Physical restraint use among hospitalized older adults remains an important issue. Despite evidence indicating that restraints can be harmful and strict regulatory rules restricting the use of restraints, healthcare practitioners continue to utilize physical restraints, often in the name of safety. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions regarding physical restraint use among registered nurses (RNs) and nursing assistants (NAs). The Perceptions of Restraint Use Questionnaire (PRUQ) was used to evaluate nursing staff perceptions. The overall mean score for the PRUQ was 2.8 out of a possible 5, indicating a neutral perception. Both RNs and NAs identified treatment interference as the most important reason for restraining a patient and substituting of restraints for staff as the least important reason. This study revealed an overall less favorable perception of restraints than previous studies. NAs favored physical restraint for fall prevention more than RNs. It was also noted that protection from physical abuse and patient combativeness was the most salient reason cited by the emergency department staff.

Nurses' job satisfaction and patient falls.

PURPOSE: The growing concern about the low job satisfaction among nurses and the achievement of positive patient outcomes are critical healthcare issues. The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to determine the relationship between nurses' job satisfaction and patient fall rate on adult medical and surgical units. METHODS: Secondary data from a nurses' job satisfaction survey at a large not-for-profit acute care hospital on the East coast was used. The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators-Adapted Index of Work Satisfaction (NDNQI-AIWS) was used to measure nurses' job satisfaction. The sample included 161 nurses from 12 adult acute medical and surgical units. The study used retrospective data collected by the Department of Nursing on patient fall rate. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between nurse job satisfaction and patient fall rate. In addition, exploratory descriptive analysis was conducted by type of unit (i.e., medical or surgical). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: No significant relationship was found between overall nurses' job satisfaction and patient fall rate. MD-RN interactions (r = .65) and decision-making (r = .57) were the job satisfaction subscales that showed a significant positive correlation with patient fall rate (p < .05). Recommendations for future research are provided.