Skip to main content

Physical Restraint Use More Likely for Black Adults in Emergency Departments

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 27, 2023 -- In adult emergency departments, physical restraint is uncommon but occurs more often among Black patients than White and non-Black patients, according to a review published online Sept. 25 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Vidya Eswaran, M.D., from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to examine the risk for physical restraint use in adult emergency departments, specifically regarding patients of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Ten articles met the inclusion criteria, representing 2,557,983 patient encounters and 24,030 events of physical restraint (0.94 percent).

The researchers found that Black patients were more likely to be restrained than White patients (relative risk, 1.31) and all non-Black patients (relative risk, 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 emergency department exist, with an increased risk of physical restraint use in Black patients compared with White patients as well as to all non-Black emergency department patients," the authors write. "Emergency departments should carefully consider, and take steps to address, how racism may affect disparate use of restraints among adult patients."

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted September 2023

Read this next

Text Messages + Financial Incentives Boost Weight Loss at 12 Months

WEDNESDAY, May 15, 2024 -- Among men with obesity, an intervention with text messaging plus financial incentive significantly improves weight loss compared with a control group...

AACR Delivers Report on Disparities in Cancer Progress

WEDNESDAY, May 15, 2024 -- In its biennial Cancer Disparities Progress Report published today, the American Association for Cancer Research presents the latest statistics on...

High Telehealth Use Tied to Increased Health Care Utilization, Cost

TUESDAY, May 14, 2024 -- Higher telehealth use in a hospital service area is tied to increased health care utilization and cost, according to a study published online May 13...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.