Nearly half of those with dementia who have been hospitalized in Japan were physically restrained at some point to prevent them from harming themselves.
A nationwide survey carried out early last year at 3,446 hospitals and receiving valid responses from 937 found that among 23,539 patients with or suspected of having dementia, 10,480, or 45 percent, were physically restrained during their stay.
The joint survey by the National Cancer Center and the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science said the results show that hospitals are going too far in restraining dementia patients and that the practice "may be becoming habitual."
The findings highlight practices such as tying patients to wheelchairs, and indicate that more studies are necessary regarding the appropriate way to care for the elderly in a country whose population is rapidly graying.
"We should examine the demerits of restraints, including a decline in bodily functioning and the progression of dementia, and take measures to reduce unnecessary cases," the survey team said.
The poll focused on regular hospitals, where physical restraints are allowed by law and are used at the discretion of medical staff. This is in contrast to psychiatric hospitals, where restraints are allowed only in certain situations, and nursing facilities, where they are in principle banned.
The survey, which allowed multiple answers, found 69 percent of such cases involved enclosing a patient's bed with a barrier, while 28 percent entailed strapping patients to a wheelchair with belts and 26 percent involved putting mittens on patients to prevent them from pulling out catheters.
Asked about the reasons for taking such steps, the measures were taken in 47 percent of cases due to a risk of patients falling, 14 percent were due to the possibility of them pulling out catheters and 10 percent were because they had pulled out catheters before.
