Intention to use physical restraint in paediatric intensive care units and correlated variables: A multicentre and cross-sectional study

Objectives: To determine the intention to use physical restraint (PR) and the relationship with sociodemographic and professional variables of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) nurses.

Research methodology/design and setting: A multicentre and correlational study was carried out from October 2021 to December 2023 in five paediatric intensive care units from five maternal and child hospitals in Spain. The Paediatric Physical Restraint-Theory of Planned Behaviour Questionnaire was provided. Moreover, sociodemographic and employment variables were registered.

Results: A total of 230 paediatric nurses participated in the study. A total of 87.7 % were females with an average age of 35.5 ± 9.7 years and working experience of 10.5 ± 8.4 years. The mean scores obtained were 21.1 ± 3.8 for attitude, 13.1 ± 5.0 for subjective norms, 14.4 ± 4.3 for perceived behavioural control and 28.0 ± 6.0 for intention. The nurses apply more physical restraint to anxious patients, with scarce analgesics and sedation, those affected with pharmacological withdrawal symptoms and those with a high risk of accidental removal of vital support devices or fall from bed. The sex (p = 0.007) and type of employment contract (p = 0.01) are the variables that are significantly correlated with the intention to use of PR.

Conclusion: The paediatric nurses analysed had a moderate attitude, social pressure and perceived behavioural control towards the use of PR.

Implications for clinical practice: It is important to know the factors that influence the intention to use physical restraint in order to standardise safe practice for critically ill paediatric and to ensure that patients' rights are respected by obtaining informed consent and assessing the prescription, continuation and removal of physical restraint.