Safety and physical restraint
Phillips, M.
Dimensions in Health Service 54(6): 12-15
1977
ISSN/ISBN: 0317-7645 PMID: 873078 Document Number: 4568
Acts of violence by patients sometimes occur in the general hospital setting. In a psychiatric hospital they present problems for which staff require ongoing guidance and help. In the general hospital, staff who work on acute wards and in emergency departments are often faced with having to exercise instantaneous action in dealing with a situation in which the safety of the patient, the staff, or others may be threatened. Accident victims in a confused and potentially aggressive state are an unknown entity; the very nature of their injuries may predispose them to violence. Disorientation, confusion, and sometimes aggression are also characteristics of persons, intoxicated by alcohol and/or drugs, who seek help. Finally, the person seeking help in an emergency department suspected of having, or carrying an offensive weapon presents but another potentially aggression-charged situation with which the staff must deal.
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