In a voice that was barely above a whisper, Nash told the public health committee that she routinely saw children at Elmcrest restrained up to three times a day when she was a patient there. Nash said she was never restrained herself, but was left scarred by watching others being restrained. I'd be the next one on the ground. But there is a wide gulf between whatever is on paper and what happens on the wards. He said the emphasis should be on monitoring and oversight of front-line staff.
Restraints entail a variety of physical and mechanical methods to restrict a patient's movement.
Used in psychiatric hospitals and facilities for the mentally retarded, restraints are supposed to be used to protect the patient or others from harm. But bad methods, little training and inappropriate use have led to hundreds of deaths across the nation. To enforce the new regulations in Connecticut, Ragaglia has beefed up her department's quality management division. The unit, which had four people last year, now has nearly 30, she said. The shift in emphasis within the department did not inflate the overall budget.