The use of restrictive practices in the care of people living with dementia in hospital

Understanding the everyday use of restrictive practices in the care of people living with dementia during a hospital admission: reducing inappropriate use, identifying good practice and alternative approaches to reduce risk and improve care

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN11797465

Enrollment

140

Registered

2022-08-26

Start date

2022-09-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-04-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Dementia Mental and Behavioural Disorders Unspecified dementia

Interventions

Ethnography and in-situ interviews about the everyday use of formal and informal restrictive practices across a range of hospital settings known to admit people living with dementia. Ethnographic dat

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Ward staff, patients and carers and family members of patients with a diagnosis or query of dementia when admitted to hospital

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Patients without a diagnosis or query of dementia will not be included in observations

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
1. The visible work of nurses and healthcare assistants involved in delivering everyday care to people living with dementia as staff make decisions relating to the use of restrictive practices during shifts, assessed using ethnographic observation over four hour periods 2. Routine practice and responses when interacting with people living with dementia explored using short ethnographic interviews as care is delivered over four hour periods 3. The potential impacts and consequences of restrictive practice on patient experiences and discharge pathway in the 3 months after discharge, assessed with follow-up interviews with people living with dementia and family carers at monthly intervals	—

Measure

Time frame

1. The visible work of nurses and healthcare assistants involved in delivering everyday care to people living with dementia as staff make decisions relating to the use of restrictive practices during shifts, assessed using ethnographic observation over four hour periods 2. Routine practice and responses when interacting with people living with dementia explored using short ethnographic interviews as care is delivered over four hour periods 3. The potential impacts and consequences of restrictive practice on patient experiences and discharge pathway in the 3 months after discharge, assessed with follow-up interviews with people living with dementia and family carers at monthly intervals

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
There are no secondary outcome measures	—

Countries

England, United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Apr 17, 2026