Managing aggression in the emergency department: promoting an interdisciplinary approach

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Emergency Medicine
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Aggression is common in hospitals, particularly emergency departments, causing workplace instability and negatively impacting patient care and staff well-being.
• Frequent exposure to workplace aggression can detrimentally affect healthcare professionals' quality of life.
• Emergency departments are critical, high-traffic areas requiring staff preparedness to manage aggression effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the causes of aggression in emergency departments.
• To propose an interdisciplinary action plan for managing aggressive patients.
• To emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and planned management strategies.

Main Methods:

• Literature review to identify causes of aggression.
• Development of an interdisciplinary action plan for intervention.
• Analysis of the impact of well-managed aggression.

Main Results:

• Understanding the causes of aggression is key to effective intervention.
• An interdisciplinary action plan can limit the impact of aggression.
• Effective management leads to a more stable work environment.

Conclusions:

• Interdisciplinary ownership and planned management are crucial for addressing aggression.
• Managing aggression effectively ensures responsive and timely emergency care.
• A stable emergency department environment benefits both staff and patient outcomes.