Many psychiatric institutions, general hospitals and social care homes in countries continue to use caged beds routinely to restrain patients with mental disorders and mental retardation. Caged beds are beds with netting or, in some cases, metal bars, which serve to physically restrain the patients. Patients are often kept in caged beds for extended periods, sometimes even years. This type of restraint is often used when staff levels or training are inadequate, and sometimes as a form of punishment or threat of punishment. The use of restraints such as caged beds restricts the mobility of patients, which can result in a number of physical hazards.
