Exploring Influential Factors on Nurses' Physical Restraint Practices: Perspectives from Critical Care Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Experiences

Objectives: This study investigated the factors influencing Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses' use of physical restraints. These factors included the nurses' knowledge, attitudes towards restraints, and their work environment. Methodology: Researchers employed a descriptive predictive design. They recruited a convenience sample of 145 ICU nurses working across various healthcare institutions. Data collection occurred through an online survey using Google Forms. The survey assessed nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to physical restraints, along with demographic and work-related information. Findings: The study revealed that nurses had a low mean level of knowledge regarding physical restraint use (average score: 3.3 out of 11). Their attitudes were moderately positive (average score: 29.4 out of 48). Interestingly, the reported use of physical restraints was relatively high (average score: 32.5 out of 42). The analysis identified several factors influencing the use of restraints: knowledge, attitudes, experience, shift worked, and weekly work hours. Together, these factors explained 34% of the variation in physical restraint practices among the nurses. Conclusion: The study highlighted a gap in nurses' knowledge about proper physical restraint use. Additionally, nurses with more experience, longer workweeks, and experience on different shifts reported a higher frequency of using physical restraints. These findings suggest a need for ongoing educational programs to equip nurses with best practices for physical restraint use in ICU settings.