Taking charge. The role of nursing administrators in removing restraints

Approach to Management of Wandering in Dementia: Ethical and Legal Issue

Wandering behavior is one of the most important and challenging management aspects in persons with dementia. Wandering behavior in people with dementia (PwD) is associated with an increased risk of falls, injuries, and fractures, as well as going missing or being lost from a facility. This causes increased distress in caregivers at home and in healthcare facilities. The approach to the comprehensive evaluation of the risk assessment, prevention, and treatment needs more strengthening and effective measures as the prevalence of wandering remains high in the community. Both the caregiver and clinicians need a clear understanding and responsibility of ethical and legal issues while managing and restraining the PwD. Ethical and legal issues especially in the light of the new Indian Mental Healthcare Act of 2017, related to confinement by family members in their homes by family caregivers, seclusion, physical or chemical restraints, other pharmacological and behavioral treatment, highlighting their effectiveness as well as adverse consequences are discussed. This article attempts to address an approach in managing wandering behavior in PwD in light of MHCA, 2017.

Assuring Quality in Nursing Homes: The Black Box of Administrative and Clinical Leadership—A Scoping Review

Background and Objectives

Licensed nursing home administrators (NHA) and directors of nursing (DON) are responsible for nursing home quality and assuring optimal performance and job satisfaction/retention of their nursing home workforce. NHA/DON-focused studies have generated important foundational knowledge over the last three decades; yet, targeted research is needed to understand and apply the complexities of the black box of this top management team. This scoping review identifies, reviews, synthesizes, and maps the topical areas of research in NHA/DON positions in U.S. nursing homes.

Research Design and Methods

We conducted searches of 5 databases, yielding 3,479 records; screening/review yielded 88 unique records. We used thematic analysis to code the primary foci of the studies and the variables associated with the concepts of interest.

Results

Most papers (n = 40) focused on role characteristics, 23 examined approaches to management and leadership, 24 focused on perceptions about the role, and the remaining 12 examined role structure. The role-related themes linked to outcomes (n = 42), processes (n = 27), and structures (n = 30).

Discussion and Implications

We highlight important gaps for future research and offer a call to action for research, policy, practice, and education collaborations to accelerate the rate of research and translate the findings into best practices for NHA/DON to lead and manage the nursing home workforce and build capacity to ensure person-centered, high-quality care. Based on foundational descriptive studies, it is time to use what is known to design and implement interventions that enhance the capacity of NHA/DON to improve the structures, processes, and outcomes of nursing homes.

[Effectiveness of training interventions aimed at reducing physical restraints in institutionalised older people: A systematic review]

There is some controversy about the use of physical restraints in institutionalised elderly people. The aim of this review is to analyse studies that evaluated the effectiveness of training interventions targeting interdisciplinary teams aimed at preventing, reducing or eliminating the use of physical restraints in nursing homes. A systematic search was performed in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and Web of Science to find clinical trials, published in English or in Spanish, that examined training sessions for interdisciplinary teams aimed at preventing, minimising or eliminating the use of physical restrains in institutionalised people over 65 years. Ten papers fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The findings show conflicting results on the effectiveness of training sessions. Furthermore, they lack sufficient empirical evidence to be able to assert that training sessions brought about a reduction in the use of physical restraints. More studies are needed that analyse the effectiveness of these interventions to prevent or eliminate the use of physical restraints in these institutions.

Iatrogenesis within long term care facilities

Seniors living within long term care facilities have higher incidences of frailness, chronic disease, and deterioration as compared with seniors living in the community. There is increasing evidence within the literature that some of this deterioration is caused by the very facilities they are living in. This article discusses the iatrogenic factors associated with living in long term care facilities and the consequences of such factors on older adults. Following this, an exploration of the relevancy of this issue for occupational therapists will take place. Occupational therapists must be particularly alert to the dangers of iatrogenic effects and be concerned with making changes within the long term care system to prevent further harm to older adults and work on promoting an environment that promotes optimal health.

Director of nursing current job tenure and past experience and quality of care in nursing homes

BACKGROUND

Directors of nursing (DONs) are central to quality of care in nursing homes (NHs) because of their role in coordinating and overseeing nursing care. Research is needed to test the association between DON characteristics and quality using large, representative samples of NHs and global measures of quality. One such measure is the quality measure (QM) rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Five-Star Quality Rating, which aggregates 10 individual QMs into a single rating.

PURPOSE

This study examined whether DON current job tenure or past experience (a) differed across levels of the QM rating, (b) was associated with QM ratings, and (c) was associated with any of the individual 10 QM scores that comprise QM ratings.

METHODOLOGY

Data for a nationally representative sample of 1,174 NHs were obtained from the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey, publicly reported QMs, and an Area Resource File. Wald tests were used to test differences in mean DON current job tenure and past experience across levels of the QM rating. Multinomial logistic and Poisson regression analyses were used to examine the association between DON current job tenure and past experience and QM ratings and QM scores, respectively, controlling for selected market and organizational characteristics.

FINDINGS

Nursing homes with longer DON current job tenure tended to have higher QM ratings. Longer DON current job tenure was associated with higher QM ratings and lower QM scores for several individual QMs, suggesting higher quality. The past experience of the DON did not differ across levels of the QM rating and was not associated with QM ratings or QM scores.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

This study highlights the need for owners and administrators to support DONs as they either the transition into the role of the DON for the first time or learn to effectively fulfill their role in a new NH.

Belt restraint reduction in nursing homes: effects of a multicomponent intervention program

OBJECTIVES

To test the effects of a multicomponent intervention program to reduce the use of belt restraints in psychogeriatric nursing homes.

DESIGN

A quasi-experimental longitudinal design. Study duration was 8 months.

SETTING

Twenty-six psychogeriatric nursing home wards in 13 Dutch nursing homes were assigned to intervention or control groups.

PARTICIPANTS

Seven hundred fourteen residents were selected for participation. Legal representatives of 520 residents agreed on participation; complete data are available for 405 residents.

INTERVENTION

The intervention program included four major components: promotion of institutional policy change that discourages use of belt restraint, nursing home staff education, consultation by a nurse specialist aimed at nursing home staff, and availability of alternative interventions.

MEASUREMENTS

The primary outcome measure was the frequency of belt restraint use. Secondary outcomes included other types of physical restraints, psychoactive drug use, falls, and fall-related injuries. These data were collected at baseline and after 4 and 8 months. A trained, blinded observer measured the use of belts and other physical restraints types four times during a 24-hour period.

RESULTS

The intervention resulted in a 50% decrease in belt use (odds ratio = 0.48, 95% confidence interval = 0.28-0.81; P = .005). No increase occurred in the use of other types of restraints. No marked differences between the groups were found regarding psychoactive drugs, falls, and fall-related injuries.

CONCLUSION

A multicomponent intervention program led to a substantial reduction in use of belts, full-enclosure bedrails, and sleep suits without increasing the use of other physical restraints, psychoactive drugs, or falls and fall-related injuries.

Education on physical restraint reduction in dementia care: a review of the literature

Dementia is a priority area for all countries as populations age and dementia prevalence increases. The use of physical restraint is a possible clinical practice for persons with dementia across settings when behaviours indicate a perceived need. Indeed, this may be the first choice in practice, occurring in part because of lack of education, safety concerns, perceived costs and staffing issues. This article reviews the literature on the issues surrounding, and use of, physical restraint for people with dementia, highlighting the rationales for use and the benefits and barriers to physical restraint. Recommendations include the importance of education and policy to reduce or eliminate physical restraint of persons with dementia to overcome identified barriers at the individual, cultural and organizational levels. An educational programme from the literature review is proposed specific to the reduction or elimination of physical restraint.

Physical restraint use and falls in nursing homes: a comparison between residents with and without dementia

AIMS

To estimate the use of different types of physical restraints and assess their associations to falls and injuries among residents with and without Alzheimer's disease (AD) or dementia in US nursing homes.

METHODS

Data were from the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey. AD or dementia was identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes. Analyses were conducted with the Surveyfreq and Surveylogistic procedures in SAS v.9.1.

RESULTS

Residents with either AD or dementia were more likely to be physically restrained (9.99% vs 3.91%, P < .001) and less likely to have bed rails (35.06% vs 38.43%, P < .001) than those residents without the disease. The use of trunk restraints was associated with higher risk for falls (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.66, P < .001) and fractures (AOR = 2.77, P < .01) among residents with the disease. The use of full bed rails was associated with lower risk for falls among residents with and without the disease (AOR = 0.67 and AOR = 0.72, Ps < .05, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of a trunk restraint is associated with a higher risk for falls and fractures among residents with either AD or dementia.

A Longitudinal Evaluation of Restraint Reduction within a Multi-site, Multi-model Canadian Continuing Care Organization

Bien que la documentation américaine sur la réduction de l'usage des moyens de contention soit relativement importante, les travaux de recherche publiés sur cette même question sont moins nombreux sur les pensionnaires d'un établissement canadien de soins de longue durée. Les statistiques des plus importants établissements de ce type financés et exploités au Canada ont mis au jour des attitudes révélatrices envers les moyens mécaniques de contention. Durant les quatre années d'une étude comportant une campagne visant à réduire l'utilisation de moyens mécaniques de contention, la prévalence organisationnelle est passée de 24,68 % à 16,01 %. Il existait une variabilité substantielle en matière de contention parmi les 11 centres de l'organisation (échelle de 0 à 39,86 % des pensionnaires faisant l'objet de contention) et tous sauf un ont pu réduire la contention mécanique. Des facilitateurs particuliers à la réalisation et au maintien de la réduction de la contention sont indiqués, notamment les établissements de petite taille, la fourniture de soins spécialisés (par ex., maladie d'Alzheimer), et un «champion» résidant sur place. Des obstacles particuliers, comme la grande taille d'un établissement et un champion résidant à l'extérieur font aussi l'objet de discussion.

Minimizing the use of restrictive devices in dementia patients at risk for falling

The accumulating empirical evidence demonstrates that restrictive devices can be removed without negative consequences. Most importantly, use of nonrestrictive measures has been correlated with positive patient outcomes and represents care that is dignified and safe for confused elders. Most of these nonrestrictive approaches promote mobility and functional recovery; however, testing of individual interventions is needed to further the science. As the research regarding restrictive devices has been translated into professional guidelines and regulatory standards, the prevalence of usage has declined dramatically. New institutional models of care discouraging routine use of restrictive devices also will foster innovative solutions to clinical problems associated with dementia.

BedSAFE: A Bed Safety Project for Frail Older Adults

In response to heightened awareness of patient safety, restraint reduction, and the potential for life-threatening entrapment caused by bed rails, a quality improvement program entitled BedSAFE was conducted to systematically and safely decrease the use of bed rails in three nursing home care units. This article describes an interdisciplinary process of individualized patient assessment, selection of appropriate alternatives for residents, compliance monitoring, training, and monitoring of patient outcomes including falls and injuries related to falls from bed.

Elements of successful restraint and seclusion reduction programs and their application in a large, urban, state psychiatric hospital

In recent years, there has been a strong desire on the part of inpatient psychiatric programs to reduce the use of seclusion and mechanical restraint. There is a consensus among those who have published descriptions of successfully implemented restraint and seclusion reduction programs that the essential elements of such programs are high level administrative endorsement, participation by recipients of mental health services, culture change, training, data analysis, and individualized treatment. This article describes these elements and their application in a successful restraint reduction program at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, a large, urban, state-operated psychiatric hospital that reduced its combined restraint and seclusion rate by 67% over a period of 2 years.

A review of physical restraint minimization in the acute and residential care settings

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this review was to investigate physical restraint minimization in acute and residential care settings. The first aim was to determine the effectiveness of attempts to minimize the use of physical restraint, and the second was to generate a description of the characteristics of restraint minimization programmes.

METHOD

A comprehensive search was undertaken involving all major databases and the reference lists of all relevant papers. To be included in the review studies had to be an evaluation of restraint minimization in an acute or residential care setting. As only a single randomized controlled trial (RCT) was identified, it was not possible statistically to pool the findings of different studies on the effectiveness of restraint minimization. To generate a description of the characteristics of restraint minimization programmes, the reported components of these programmes were identified and categorized.

RESULTS

A total of 16 studies evaluating restraint minimization were identified: three in acute care and 13 in residential care. Of these, only one was an RCT, with the most common approach being the before and after study design. Based on the findings of the single RCT, education supported by expert consultation effectively reduced the use of restraint in residential care. There has been little evaluation of restraint minimization in acute care settings. The common approach to restraint minimization has involved a programme of multiple activities, with restraint education being the characteristic common to most programmes.

DISCUSSION

Evidence suggests that physical restraint can be safely reduced in residential care settings through a combination of education and expert clinical consultation. There is little information on restraint minimization in acute care settings. The major finding of this review is the need for further investigation into all aspects of restraint minimization.

Reasons for physically restraining patients and residents: a systematic review and content analysis

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this systematic review was to determine why people are physically restrained in the acute and residential care settings.

METHOD

A comprehensive search was undertaken of electronic databases to identify studies addressing the reasons for using physical restraint. Findings were synthesised using content analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-three studies were identified. The most common reason for using restraints related to patient-oriented issues such as ensuring the safety of people. However, they are also commonly used to facilitate treatment, maintain the social environment and because of issues such as understaffing.

Restraint use in acute and critical care settings: changing practice

Reduction of physical restraint use in the acute and critical care setting is a complex issue. Ethical considerations, regulatory and professional standards, legal liability concerns, healthcare team members' knowledge and attitudes, and unit culture and practice traditions must all be considered. Restraint reduction programs may use a process improvement format that engages the support of the organization's leadership. Specific interventions for restraint reduction, such as understanding the meaning of a patient's behavior, using a team approach, and involving the family can be evaluated and modified for application in the acute and critical care setting. Successful initiatives to decrease the use of restraint in this setting require an understanding of the many factors that support and oppose this practice.

Moving toward restraint-free patient care

After reviewing the literature and regulatory requirements, a multidisciplinary team developed a comprehensive restraint reduction program that has reduced the use of restraints by more than 60% in the acute care setting. The authors discuss the research-based restraint education program and the implementation of a restraint consultant role.