Background The Perceptions of Restraint Use Questionnaire measures perception of restraint in a 17-item questionnaire. The aim of this study was to assess the test-retest reliability of the PRUQ as a measure of staff attitudes to restraint in elderly older persons care for people with dementia from two different nursing homes, and its ability to produce reliable results. Methods Twenty-six staff members from two different nursing homes completed the 17-item PRUQ twice with 14-21 days between time points. As the questionnaire has already been translated in another study, the current study evaluated total item scores, mean, internal consistency, and intraclass correlation for reliability purposes. Results The internal consistency Cronbach's Alpha were > >= 0.726. The Intraclass correlation (ICC) between test and retest was moderate to good for the three subscales, with ICC (A,1) and ICC (C,1) values approximately equal and in the range 0.480-0.962. A Bland-Altman plot of the PRUQ total mean scores illustrates no systematic change in the mean. Conclusions The Swedish version of the PRUQ shows mainly good reliability. Therefore, we suggest that researchers continue to develop the PRUQ to be an even higher reliable questionnaire of health care professionals' perceptions of measure for restraint use in nursing homes for persons with dementia.