Identification of nurses' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the USE of physical restraint

Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of nurses towards physical restraint. Material and Method: The study was conducted as a descriptive study between October 2017 and December 2017. Nurses working in the Malatya Turgut Ozal Medical Center created the universe of the research. The power analysis to determine the sample of the study found 0.05 error, 95% confidence interval, and 0.95 universe representation power as sample size 320 nurses. Nurses' names were listed and selected by simple random sampling method. In the collection of data, "Introductory Characteristics Form" and "Level of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices for Using Physical Restraint" were used. Percent distribution, mean, t test in independent groups and variance analysis were used in the evaluation of the data. Results: The average level of knowledge is 2.56 ± 1.56, attitude average is 28.82 ± 5.02, application average is 21.58 ± 3.42 about the use of physical restraint in the study. The level of knowledge about using physical restraint in psychiatric services is higher, attitudes are more positive and applications are higher. Conclusion: In the study, it was found that the knowledge level of nurses for physical restraint was low, attitudes were positive and applications were low. Key words: Physical restraint, Nurse