A client has been brought to the emergency department (ED) by ambulance after he was reported to have flown into an inexplicable rage in a fast food restaurant

Question

Paramedics state that he has been shouting, screaming, and swearing in the ambulance, and this behavior now continues in the ED. In order to justify the use of restraints, what condition must be met?
A) The client's electronic health record must document a DSM-IV-TR psychiatric diagnosis.
B) Less restrictive measures must have been implemented and must have proved unsuccessful.
C) The client must be known to a member of the care team and have required restraint in the past.
D) The care team must attempt to elicit verbal consent from the client for the use of restraints.

Answer 1

Ans: B
Feedback:
Because of the risks of restraint and seclusion, a primary guideline is that use should be limited to emergencies in which the risk of a client physically harming self, staff, or others is imminent. Furthermore, restraint and seclusion should be applied only when other less restrictive methods to ensure client safety have failed. Verbal consent and a known psychiatric diagnosis are not legally or ethically required in situations where no other option for ensuring safety remains.