This is great news! The percentage of nursing home residents with restraints fell from 10.7% 1999 to 6% in 2006. The report comes from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s 2008 National Healthcare Quality Report.
The report, released last week, provides both a state-by-state and nationwide analysis of quality-of-care performance in nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare settings. It tracks 14 different measures of nursing home care, including short-stay/long-stay differences, use of restraints and pressure ulcer rates among others.
State snapshots are available on the AHRQ website, along with full copies of the 2008 report.
We have seen multiple tragedies involving residents becoming entrapped in, and falling from, dangerous restraints. These avoidable events can sometimes lead to death such as when a resident becomes entrapped in bed rail resulting it asphyxia.