Section 388-865-0546. Use of seclusion and restraint procedures—Children.

Consumers have the right to be free from seclusion and restraint, including chemical restraint. The use of restraints or seclusion must occur only when there is imminent danger to self or others and less restrictive measures have been determined to be ineffective to protect the consumer or others from harm and the reasons for the determination are clearly documented. The evaluation and treatment facility must develop policies and procedures to assure that restraint and seclusion procedures are utilized only to the extent necessary to ensure the safety of patients and others:

(1) In the event of an emergency use of restraints or seclusion, a licensed physician must be notified within one hour and must authorize the restraints or seclusion;

(2) No consumer may be restrained or secluded for a period in excess of two hours without having been evaluated by a mental health professional. Such consumer must be directly observed every fifteen minutes and the observation recorded in the consumer's clinical record;

(3) If the restraint or seclusion exceeds twenty-four hours, the consumer must be examined by a licensed physician. The facts determined by his or her examination and any resultant decision to continue restraint or seclusion over twenty-four hours must be recorded in the consumer's clinical record over the signature of the authorizing physician. This procedure must be repeated for each subsequent twenty-four hour period of restraint or seclusion.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 71.05.560, 71.24.035 (5)(c), 71.34.800, 9.41.047, 43.20B.020, and 43.20B.335. WSR 01-12-047, § 388-865-0546, filed 5/31/01, effective 7/1/01.]

RCW 71.05.560, 71.24.035 (5)(c), 71.34.800, 9.41.047, 43.20B.020, and 43.20B.335. WSR 01-12-047, § 388-865-0546, filed 5/31/01, effective 7/1/01.