Study of Good Clinical Practice Regarding the Use of Physical Restraints in the Emergency Departments of Strasbourg University Hospital

Condition(s) studied

Study summary

Physical restraint in healthcare settings is an ethical issue. The question of deprivation of liberty, as posed by this practice, has persisted throughout history. In psychiatric wards, physical restraint is governed by strict regulations, enshrined in the Public Health Code. This legal framework is absent from the investigator's emergency departments, despite their frequent involvement in the use of restraint. Several studies have highlighted risk factors associated with restraint. These studies have also highlighted the risks associated with restraint. A best practice guideline published by the French Society of Emergency Medicine (SFMU) in 2021 has provided guidelines for practices within our emergency departments. The objective of this study is to determine whether this guideline is followed by practitioners in the emergency departments of Strasbourg University Hospital. The investigators will also analyze the difference between cases that comply with the recommendations and those that do not. Analyses will also be conducted on the subjects most at risk of restraint, the experiences of restrained patients, the times of day when physical restraint is most likely to be applied, the reasons for restraint, and the nature of the physical and chemical restraint.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Proportion of cases in accordance with best practice recommendations (in %) — Up to 6 months
  Proportion of cases in accordance with the best practice guidelines of the French Society of Emergency Medicine (SFMU) among all patient cases that underwent physical restraint in the emergency department of the University Hospital over a 6-month period

Trial sites (1)

More University Hospital, Strasbourg, France trials in France