A new study shows the use of physical restraints in Hawai'i nursing homes has declined by 60 percent since 2002.

The data is part of an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality report.

It shows a decline of 40 percent nationwide in the use of restraints such as bed rails or wheelchair belts.

A 1987 law outlaws the use of restraints to discipline or restrict patients as a matter of convenience for the nursing home. They can only be used for medical reasons, such as to prevent a patient from tearing out an IV.

The report compares two months in 2002 with two in 2006.

For Hawai'i, it shows 7.5 percent of nursing home patients were regularly put in some kind of restraint in 2002, with only three percent in 2006.

Nationwide, 5.9 percent of patients were physically restrained repeatedly in 2006. That's a drop from 9.7 percent in 2002.