PHYSICAL RESTRAINT KNOWLEDGE , ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES OF INTENSIVE CARE NURSES IN TURKEY: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN IN-SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAM

Abstract

Purpose: Intensive care nurses use physical restraints (PRs) to prevent critically ill patients from disrupting invasive medical equipment, but they may not recognize the negative or positive consequences. The study was conducted with a quasi-experimental, single-group pretest-posttest design to evaluate the impact of PRs in-service training on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of intensive care nurses. Material and Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 81 nurses. The data were obtained using a "The Individual Data Questionnaire" and the "Levels of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Staff Regarding Physical Restraints Questionnaire." The level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of nurses towards PRs was evaluated one week before, immediately after and one and three months later PRs in service training program. Results: The nurses' knowledge scores were significant decrease after three months following the PRs in service training (p=.001). The nurses' attitude and practice scores about the use of PRs in service training period and retest after one and three months increased significantly compared to the pre-service training period (p=.001). Conclusion: This study showed that the PRs in-service training given to the nurses was effective. The findings recommended to carry out in-service training to increase the attitude and practice levels of nurses about PRs and its this in service and evaluate its effectiveness.