Construction of an Instrument to Evaluate Nurses' Decision Making in Relation to the Use of Restraint in Acute Care Psychiatry.

Use of physical restraint in acute care psychiatry has been, and continues to be, a controversial issue. For this reason, a study was conducted in 1996 that examined nurses' decision making related to the use of physical restraint with aggressive psychiatric patients. An instrument, the Moylan Assessment of Progressive Aggression Tool (MAPAT), was developed for this purpose. Information relating to this instrument has not been previously published. It is currently in use in an ongoing research study by the author. A description of the process of the development of the MAPAT is provided here, along with the validity and reliability of the instrument, and implications for potential use in research, training, and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]