Psychiatric nurses' thoughts and feelings about restraint use, a decision dilemma

grantor: University of TorontoThis ethnographic qualitative study concerned nurses' thoughts and feelings regarding restraint use in the psychiatric setting. The theoretical approach which guided this study was the work of Etzioni (1992) which focuses on the role of normative-affective factors in decision making. The analysis of the thoughts and feelings of the six nurses interviewed revealed that the restraint situation represented a decision dilemma. The decision dilemma was captured by four supporting themes: the framing of the situation: the potential for imminent harm, the unsuccessful search for alternatives to physical restraints, the conflicted nurse, and the conditions of restraint. The findings contribute insights about why restraints continue to be used. Also, there are implications for restraint use in the psychiatric setting, future research, and understanding restraint use in light of decision making theory.M.Sc