Objective To explore the application effect of the medical-nursing cooperative decision-making on the reduction of physical restraints in critically ill patients. Methods A total of 273 ICU patients admitted from July 2019 to February 2020 were regarded as a control group, and the other 307 ICU patients admitted from April to November 2020 were taken as an intervention group. The control group was routinely given a physical restraint strategy, while the intervention group received a physical restraint reduction strategy of medical-nursing cooperative decision-making. The physical restraint rate, physical restraint time and the incidence of delirium, unplanned extubation, and skin damage were compared between the two groups. Results The physical restraint rate of the intervention group was 34.20%, and its restraint time was (25.49±9.61) h, which were significantly lower or shorter than 53.85% and (31.73±10.26) h of the control group, and the incidence of delirium and skin damage in the intervention group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01), while there was no significant difference in the incidence of unplanned extubation 〖HJ〗between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion The application of ICU physical restraint reduction program under the medical-nursing cooperative decision-making can standardize the physical restraint operation process, ensure the rationality of restraint, reduce physical restraint rate and related complications, and shorten physical restraint time.