Under chemical restraint policy, which statement is correct?

• A. The use of a medication is not a chemical restraint if it is prescribed by a treating health-care professional and administered for medical or dental reasons and has a secondary immobilizing or sedating effect
• B. Any medication used for behavior control qualifies as chemical restraint
• C. Medical treatment cannot be provided in emergencies
• D. Chemical restraint is permitted without documentation

Answer: (A)

Under chemical restraint policy, the focus is on whether a medication is used primarily to manage medical or dental needs versus to control behavior. A medication that is prescribed by and administered by a treating health-care professional for medical or dental reasons, and only has a secondary immobilizing or sedating effect, is not considered a chemical restraint. This is the best choice because it preserves medical treatment as the primary purpose and reserves restraint labeling for those drugs used chiefly to influence behavior. The other statements misstate the policy: using a medication solely for behavior control would be chemical restraint; emergencies do involve medical treatment and must be documented; and chemical restraint should not be permitted without proper documentation.