Quality Standards of Nursing Care for the Use of Chemical Restraints: A Realist Review

BACKGROUND: The use of chemical restraints (CRs) in health care facilities is a complex intervention that raises questions about its effectiveness and whether it is safe and patient oriented. PURPOSE: This review aims to gather nursing quality standards for the use of CR through an innovative method of knowledge synthesis, the realist review, to support the development of a quality evaluation tool. METHODS: A realist review method was chosen. RESULTS: An operational definition of chemical restraint is proposed, a concept seen as synonymous with the management of behavioral symptoms by pharmacological agents with sedative proprieties. Twenty-eight quality standards were identified and presented in a theoretical model. CONCLUSIONS: These quality standards will allow the evaluation of practices from a nursing perspective for the use of CR in health care settings.