What are potential outcomes from using restraints improperly?

• A. Agitation Consequences
• B. Entrapment Risks
• C. Therapy
• D. Depression Screening

Answer: (A)

Improper restraint use tends to cause distress and agitation in residents. When restraints are applied inappropriately, the immediate and most common reaction is heightened agitation—fear, restlessness, increased vocal or physical resistance, and overall distress from feeling restrained or uncomfortable. This agitation can set off a cycle of struggling to remove the restraints, risking further injury, skin breakdown, and falls, and it clearly demonstrates why agitation is the best answer.

Entrapment risks are real safety concerns with restraints, especially if they are too tight or poorly positioned, but agitation describes the broader and more immediate adverse outcome that clinicians most often observe. Therapy and depression screening are not direct outcomes of restraint use; they are actions or processes that may occur independently of restraint misuse.