Physical restraint for children who have behavioural health related issues

The Archivist has never supported physically restraining angry or violent and emotionally charged children in the emergency department or on the ward. Unfortunately there may be situations where it is felt the only option. Many units will have a physical or chemical restraint guidelines which always causes controversy and most clinicians and nurses, when discussing options with the parents and trying to engage the child, do not find it easy to instigate. Dalton E M et al (Pediatrics 2021;148:e2020003939) have tackled this issue and provide some excellent advice and suggestions on how to prevent the need for restraint. Children with primary behavioural health conditions are presenting to children’s hospitals with increasing frequency and can be a major challenge in the inpatient environment. There may well be no immediate child psychiatric bed available so they are admitted to a paediatric ward while awaiting psychiatric assessment and admission to the psychiatric...

from Archives of Disease in Childhood current issue https://ift.tt/3AUuqK2