Restraint

I saw today my first restraint done on a patient.  When I first interviewed for this internship position, the clinical director told me to expect it.  She also said there are strict guidelines around how and when to restrain a patient.  It was a well planned-for, well thought-out, and well-documented procedure.

This particular patient needed lab work done.  It was critically important that his medication levels be checked for toxicity.  However this patient, a young adolescent with severe developmental issues, was scared of shots.  He was given a medication to sedate and relax him.  A sweet medical student soothed the patient verbally (since they'd already developed a positive rapport) while several techs and social workers grabbed appendages.  From the way he screamed and thrashed about, you would have thought he was having a limb amputated, when in actuality he was simply getting his finger pricked.