An internet training to reduce assaults in long-term care

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Aggressive behaviors by residents in long-term care facilities (LTCs) pose significant risks to care staff.
• There is a need for effective interventions to manage resident aggression and improve staff safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an internet-based training program for nurse aides (NAs) in managing aggressive resident behaviors.
• To assess the impact of the training on the frequency of aggressive incidents and staff knowledge.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial with an immediate treatment (IT) and delayed treatment (DT) design involving six LTCs.
• Nurse aides (NAs) participated in an online training program, with data collected at baseline, 8 weeks, and 16 weeks.
• Hierarchical linear models were used to analyze knowledge and aggression incident data.

Main Results:

• The IT group demonstrated significantly improved knowledge compared to the DT group at 8 weeks, which was maintained at 16 weeks.
• A significant reduction in the number of daily aggressive incidents was observed in the IT group from baseline to 16 weeks, with a large effect size.
• The online training program was well-received by the participating NAs.

Conclusions:

• Internet-based training is an effective strategy for reducing resident-to-staff assaults in LTC settings.
• The positive effects of the training may increase over time as NAs gain experience applying the learned techniques.
• This intervention offers a scalable and accessible solution for enhancing safety and care quality in long-term care.