Four point restraints
Register Today!-
This is a discussion on Four point restraints in Nursing Issues On Patient Safety, part of General Nursing ... At the LTAC Hospital I work at we can not put someone in a four point restraint. 1. If a...
by anastasia158 Jun 15, '11At the LTAC Hospital I work at we can not put someone in a four point restraint.
1. If a patient has wrist restraints on their right and left arm AND the bottom side rails up - is that considered a four point restraint?
2. Is it appropriate for a patient to have wrist restraints and the upper two side rails up?
Thank you!
Print and share with friends and family.
Compliments of allnurses.com.
http://allnurses.com/showthread.php?t=579231©2013 allnurses.com INC. All Rights Reserved. - 3,095 Views
-
Jun 15, '11 by merleeRead your facility's policies carefully. Most places consider wrist and ankle restraints as 4-point. I am not sure about the bedrails.
Best wishes! - Jun 15, '11 by demylenatedPLEASE read your policies. Even if this is not considered "four point," it is considered restraints because they can not get out of bed and mobility is obstructed (all 4 side rails are considered restraints). You MUST have a DOCTOR'S order and MUST follow them according to the order AND your facility/Ethics law... Otherwise you COULD be charged with false imprisonment.
We just happened to cover this today in class... LOL -
Jun 15, '11 by Sun0408That would depend on your facility.. All side rails up in my hospital is restrains and illegal so we can only do 3 to be "legal".. Sounds like a tricky situation.. I would go to your DON and ask.. In my state it is illegal in a LTC facility to restrain any of the residents. - Asst. Admin
Jun 15, '11 by Esme12Restraints are very individualized to each facility and policy and procedure. Four point restraint historically means all four limbs. Laws and standards of practice differ between LTC, LTAC, Acute care and psych facilities. Side rails are considered a form of restraint but are usually NOT included as a "four point" restraint.
Here is an example of the state of texas
http://www.dads.state.tx.us/news_inf...ints_guide.pdf -
Jun 15, '11 by WhisperaThe usual definition of four point restraints is restraining both wrists and both ankles. However, that doesn't mean you can restrain both wrists and put lower rails up as well. I can see someone maneuvering the lower half of the body over those side rails and getting into a great deal of discomfort.
Check your facility's policy... -
Jun 15, '11 by vampiregirlI work in a restraint free facility. We do have side rails however. We do an assessment upon admission to figure out what the side rails are being used for in each resident (safety, security, positioning etc). Then we obtain a doctor's order for them. I guess where I'm going with this, is first you have to figure out what the side rails are being used for.
Another thing to consider, is if the resident can climb over the side rails (especially confused residents). So, I would be very hesitant to use side rails as a restraint. It is a greater risk for some residents to have them up (another option being a low bed w/ floor padding).
