The revised definition details restraint as any method — chemical or physical — that restricts an individual’s freedom of movement to manage their behavior. Restraints may include manual methods, devices, materials and medications.
Interventions that do not restrict movement — such as briefly holding an individual to calm them — do not constitute as a restraint, according to The Joint Commission.
Alongside sharing the updated definition, The Joint Commission also outlined several new and revised requirements around restraint and seclusion that aim to streamline processes and limit redundancies. The organization will also now classify the physical holding of pediatric patients as a type of restraint, governing it under the same rules and requirements as other forms of restraint and seclusion.
Learn more about the updates here.
