Abuse of Restraint Use in the ICU
On March 2nd and 3rd of 2023, I witnessed a horrific event:
I found my father, a mild-mannered man with no history of aggression, restrained to his hospital bed against his will.
This occurred after my dad had been in the hospital 6 months, at this point. They had established a baseline of his temperment, knowledge of his full cognitive awareness and extreme frailty (he was intubated and could barely lift his arms) at this time.
Despite this, on these two separate days, I arrived at the hospital to find him tied to his bed.
Each time, the responsible nurse was on her lunch break, leaving my father helpless and terrified. This egregious violation of his dignity and human rights is unacceptable.
The ICU nurse manager, instead of acknowledging the wrongdoing, attempted to discredit my father and my family. Her and the nurse fabricated claims of him "grabbing at his tubes," a blatant lie given his condition and his awareness ofthe potential consequences.
These lies were clearly motivated by a desire to protect her staff and maintain her schedule, rather than prioritize patient care.
Furthermore, the nurse failed to follow proper procedures. There were no doctor's orders for restraints, and the incident was not at all documented. This lack of transparency and accountability is deeply concerning.
My dad instructed me to call the police.
The police investigation, including an interview with the nurse manager, and chief of interprofessional practice confirmed the inappropriate use of restraints.
The detective explicitly stated:
"I know there is caregiver fatigue right now, but barring any other evidence, it looks to me like she tied him up because she didn't want to deal with him." This chilling statement highlights a systemic issue within the hospital.
I have filed a complaint with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) regarding the nurse and nurse manager's lies and attempts to cover up this abuse. I have also included the police interview videos as evidence. This situation exemplifies a disturbing level of hospital corruption where patient safety and dignity are secondary to staff convenience.
Below is part of my complaint to the CNO regarding the nurse manager lieing to cover up abuse, which I attached with the police interview videos.
Hospital corruption at its finest.
Further Evidence of Inappropriate Restraint Use:
Through a Freedom of Information Act request, I obtained police interviews with the hospital staff. These interviews further corroborate the inappropriate restraint of my father.
It was admitted that my father was restrained without justification, that the responsible nurse failed to document the incident, and that family members were not informed.
When presented with my father's recorded interview detailing the abuse, the Chief of interprofessional practice appeared visibly shaken and was confronted by the detective about his blatant lies.
This incident highlights a disturbing lack of accountability and a prioritization of self-preservation over patient well-being within the hospital.