Patient Restraint in Emergency Medical Services.

Patient restraint in emergency medical services systems.

Pediatric Patient Safety in Emergency Medical Services

Since the publication of early studies highlighting the prevalence, impact, and costs of medical errors in the 1990s, patient safety has been the subject of considerable attention and study, primarily focused on adults and the inpatient setting. Less progress has been made with regard to pediatric patient safety and even less in the prehospital environment. This article reviews the issues and l...

Reducing the use of seclusion and restraint in psychiatric emergency and adult inpatient services- improving patient-centered care.

The reduction of seclusion and restraint (S/R) use has been given national priority by the US government, The Joint Commission, and patient advocacy groups. It is associated with high rates of patient and staff injuries and is a coercive and potentially traumatizing intervention. The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is the largest municipal health care system in the country,...

The use of chemical restraints reduces agitation in patients transported by emergency medical services.

BACKGROUND Agitated patients are the primary source of injury to patients and providers during ambulance transport. OBJECTIVE Our primary hypothesis was that the addition of a chemical restraint agent (midazolam) to a restraint protocol would reduce agitation to a greater extent than a restraint protocol with physical restraint alone. METHODS The local emergency medical services restraint p...

Use and Avoidance of Seclusion and Restraint: Consensus Statement of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry Project BETA Seclusion and Restraint Workgroup

Issues surrounding reduction and/or elimination of episodes of seclusion and restraint for patients with behavioral problems in crisis clinics, emergency departments, inpatient psychiatric units, and specialized psychiatric emergency services continue to be an area of concern and debate among mental health clinicians. An important underlying principle of Project BETA (Best practices in Evaluati...