Nursing Students’ Perceptions and Practices of Physical Restraint in a Hospital Setting: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Physical restraint is generally used in the healthcare setting, implying that students were exposed to
it during their clinical placement and may have participated in it, either actively or passively.This
study explores the student nurses’ knowledge and practice of physical restraints in clinical practice.
A descriptivequalitative design using one semi-structured individual interview and five focus group
discussions on nursing students (N=24) from two higher nursing institutions in Brunei Darussalam.
The data were analysed using thematic analysis.We identified three meaningful themes focused on the
use of physical restraint in the hospital setting from the perspective of nursing students, namely, the
definition of physical restraint, the uses of physical restraint and concerns towards its practice. The
student nurses reported that physical restraint was justified in providing safe and high-quality patient
care.However, they have concerns about its practice, both for themselves and the patients. The need
for theoretical and practical guidance onsafe and efficient use of physical restraint may further provide
educational supports to the students.