Soft Restraints
What are soft restraints?
Soft restraints are devices made of material that are designed to safely fit around the wrists, ankles, or chest of a patient. These devices prevent excessive movement of the patient's body part to which they are attached.
Why are soft restraints used?
Soft restraints are used to prevent patients from harming themselves. They should only be used when all other measures to prevent the patients from harming themselves are not working. For example, patients on the breathing machine may have soft wrist restraints on to prevent them from accidentally removing the breathing tube. Accidental removal of the breathing tube may result in a life-threatening situation.
Do soft restraints hurt?
Soft restraints usually do not hurt. Patients do not like to have them on because they restrict movement. Soft restraints should be removed as soon as it is safe for the patient.
Are there any potential complications associated with use of soft restraints?
Occasionally soft restraints may irritate or injure the skin on the body part to which they are attached.
Soft restraint around a wrist