Schoeneman, Karen, and David R. Graber. This letter to the editor gives a brief overview of the trends in physical restraint use in nursing facilities from 1990 through 1994. Restraint usage has dropped since the implementation of OBRA '87 in 1990. Restraint prevalence in skilled nursing facilities appears to have leveled off at about 22 percent of all residents. Nursing facilities restrained about 19 percent of residents in 1994.
Variation exists among states.
The authors of this letter are initiating a national study to determine the reasons for this variation in restraint usage among states. They express concern that moving Medicaid out of the federal arena to the states could reverse the trend in restraint reduction. Strauss, David, Richard K. Eyman, and Herbert J. Grossman. The current trend in the care of severely mentally retarded individuals is towards deinstitutionalization. Since 1967, there has been a 60 percent reduction in the number of persons residing in large institutional settings.