New restraint standards will change your practice.

New restraints and seclusion standards from Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations require you to use restraints or seclusion only for emergency situations when there is imminent risk of physical harm to a patient or others. The standards will be scored for compliance in January 2001 and will not be capped (a sliding scale scoring system usually used for several months after new standards are introduced). Document that alternative measures, such as trying to contact family members, were considered before restraints were used. The need for restraint must be described by behavior, not diagnosis.