ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study were to develop a new restraint for the intensive care units (ICU) and to investigate the application effect in comparison with a control group using existing restraints. METHOD: A non-equivalent control group non-synchronized quasi-experimental research design was used. The participants were 40 (control 20, experimental 20) patients who were recruited by convenience sampling the ICU of a university hospital. To avoid contamination of the experiment, data for the control group were collected prior to the experimental group. Measurement variables were edema and skin damage (redness and abrasion) at the application site, and nurses' perceived convenience in applying restraints. RESULTS: Three days after applying the restraint, amount of edema at the application site was small and incidence of skin damage decreased in the experimental group in comparison with the control group. Also, score for application convenience measured by the nurses was higher in for the newly developed restraint than for existing restraints. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that the newly developed restraint has lower effects such as edema and skin damage and is more convenient compared with existing restraints, and is therefore recommended for patients in the ICU.