Physical restraint of older people: A study of Australian practices

Abstract

Objectives: Physical restraint of older people is a controversial issue. The Australian Society for Geriatric Medicine (ASGM) recently published a position paper in this journal. This Australia-wide audit was undertaken to ascertain the degree of concordance between local policy and practice and the ASGM position. Methods: An audit package was mailed to each member of the ASGM resident in Australia, with instructions to perform one audit per site. Results: Thirty five sites providing a range of acute and subacute care completed the audit. All but two had a written policy on physical restraint but a minority stipulated actions included in the ASGM position. A prevalence audit revealed 22.6 pe..