Date of Award
Spring 2026
Document Type
Project – Full Written
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Committee Chair
Tiffany Stewart
Abstract
The use of physical restraints in acute psychiatric settings poses significant risks to patient safety, including physical injury and psychological distress. Evidence supports the need for alternative, non-pharmacologic interventions to reduce reliance on restraints. This Doctor of Nursing Practice quality improvement project aimed to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on nurses’ knowledge and confidence in implementing music-based interventions, specifically binaural beats, to manage patient anxiety and agitation.
The project was conducted on a medical observation and behavioral health holding unit and utilized a pre- and post-intervention design. Registered nurses participated in educational sessions on music-based interventions and were encouraged to implement the intervention during clinical care over a 1-month period. Outcomes were measured using pre- and post-surveys assessing knowledge and confidence, as well as unit-level data on restraint use and intervention utilization.
Results demonstrated improvements across all nine survey domains, with mean score increases ranging from 0.43 to 1.00 on a 5-point Likert scale, indicating enhanced knowledge, confidence, and perceived ability to implement music-based interventions. Additionally, restraint use decreased by 40% during the implementation period compared to baseline.
These findings suggest that targeted nurse education on music-based interventions is a feasible and effective strategy to promote non-pharmacologic approaches to agitation management and may contribute to reductions in physical restraint use. Further research with larger samples and extended implementation periods is recommended to evaluate long-term sustainability and patient outcomes.
Recommended Citation
Tucker, Crystal D., "Musical Measures: Nurse Education on Music-Based Interventions to Reduce Patient Restraints" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 162.
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/nursing-dnp/162
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License