The use of physical and chemical restraints in the pediatric emergency department.

Restraining patients is potentially dangerous and should be viewed as a last resort, to be used when no other modality of care is sufficient or when other efforts to calm the patient have been exhausted. Protocols and staff training are essential to limit inappropriate use of restraints and to protect both the patient and staff. Further clinical studies are needed in the area of chemical restraint of children and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of different methods of physical restraint.