Control and restraint training: A study of its effectiveness in a medium secure psychiatric unit

The study compares incidents involving manual restraint of patients prior to and after training in control and restraint (C & R) techniques. After training there were more staff injuries while restraining patients. There was no change in the number of injuries during other phases of an incident and there was no effective use of ‘break-away’ techniques. Staff expressed preference for the C & R techniques for moving and holding the patient once immobilized.