| In 2001, the Ontario provincial government passed an act to minimize the use of physical and chemical restraints in hospitals. This study utilized data from the Ontario Chronic Care Patient System (OCCPS) from April 1998 to March 2004. Data were analyzed using a simple interrupted time series design with visual and ITSACORR analysis to evaluate whether the act has resulted in a change in prevalence rates of physical restraints among elderly patients in Ontario's complex continuing care beds, both province wide and by facility type (i.e., rural, urban, small, large, private or public).;Provincial legislation to minimize the use of physical restraints was not effective. ITSACORR analysis coupled with visual analysis can be a useful combination of instruments to assess brief interrupted time series although neither method alone is without limitations. |
