Agitation is a growing and pervasive problem in emergency departments (EDs) across
the United States, with an estimated 1.7 million events occurring annually in emergency
settings [
[1]
,
[2]
]. Treatment routinely involves the use of coercive measures consisting of physical
restraints and sedatives, but they can lead to significant harm for patients. Cited
adverse events have included lasting psychological distress, respiratory depression,
physical trauma, and asphyxiation leading to cardiac arrest [
3
,
4
,
5
]. Efforts to reduce threats to patient safety have recently led to calls for utilization
of evidence-based algorithms to help clinicians determine when coercive measures are
most appropriate [
[6]
].Keywords
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- Physical Restraint Use in Adult Patients Presenting to a General Emergency Department.Ann Emerg Med. 2018 Aug 14; (pii: S0196-0644(18)30551-1)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2018.06.020
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: December 17, 2018
Accepted:
December 17,
2018
Received in revised form:
December 16,
2018
Received:
November 25,
2018
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
