NURSING TOOL BOX SERIES

  RESTRAINTS Definition of Restraints Restraints  are devices used in health care settings to prevent patients from causing harm to themselves or others when alternative interventions are not effective. A restraint is a device, method, or process that is used for the specific purpose of restricting a patient’s freedom of movement without the permission of the person.  Restraints include mechanical devices such as a tie wrist device, chemical restraints, or seclusion. The Joint Commission defines  chemical restraint  as a drug used to manage a patient’s behavior, restrict the patient’s freedom of movement, or impair the patient’s ability to appropriately interact with their surroundings that is not standard treatment or dosage for the patient’s condition. It is important to note that the definition states the medication “is not standard treatment or dosage for the patient’s condition.”  Seclusion  is defined as the confinement of a patient in a locked room from which they cannot exit on

 What Is Behavior Modification? Behavior modification is a method used to replace negative behavior patterns with desired behaviors or promote behavior change. “I use behavior modification to help my clients replace unwanted behaviors with more desirable ones by using different operations such as praise, approval, and token economies,” says Talkspace therapist Cynthia Catchings, LCSW-S, LCSW-C, CMHIMP, EMDR. The principles of the practice come from the work of B.F. Skinner and his theory of operant conditioning. Building on Thorndike’s Law of Effect, which states that a behavior that has a good outcome will likely recur more frequently than an action met with a negative outcome, Skinner added the idea of reinforcement. Essentially, if a behavior is reinforced (i.e. praised or strengthened in some way), it will continue. If the undesirable behavior is ignored, it will gradually fade away until it stops. This technique helps rid an individual of unwanted behavior while supporting deep po