Restraint Reduction at a Pediatric Psychiatric Hospital: A Ten-Year Journey.

Background: Restraints are used as one of the safety interventions for children and adolescents in various community, hospital, and treatment settings. Although considered safety interventions, restraints are known to have many adverse effects on children and staff, including injuries; even reports of death are noted in the literature.

Objective: In an effort to reduce the use of restraints and to provide trauma-informed care in a 52-bed Pediatric Psychiatric Hospital, a quality improvement project was launched.