Physical restraint is uncommon in adult EDs but occurs more often among Black patients compared with White and non-Black patients, according to a review published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Vidya Eswaran, MD, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review that examined the risk for physical restraint use in adult EDs, specifically regarding patients of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Ten articles met the inclusion criteria, representing more than 2.5 million patient encounters and 24,030 events of physical restraint (0.94%). Black patients were more likely to be restrained compared with White patients (relative risk [RR], 1.31) and all non-Black patients (RR, 1.27) in the meta-analysis. With respect to ethnicity, compared with non-Hispanic patients, Hispanic patients were less likely to be restrained (relative risk, 0.85). “Race and ethnicity-based disparities in the use of physical restraints in the adult [ED] exist, with an increased risk [for] physical restraint use [for] Black patients,” the study authors wrote.
