Quality Improvement Project to Manage Workplace Violence in Hospitals: Lessons Learned

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Occupational Safety
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Workplace violence in hospitals is a significant issue, with limited intervention studies.
• Hospitals face diverse violence risks, necessitating comprehensive training in risk recognition and de-escalation.
• Staff requested interventions to mitigate patient and visitor violence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot a violence management program on a general medical unit.
• To assess the program's impact on staff knowledge and aggression levels.
• To identify implementation strategies for violence management programs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an independent pre/posttest design to evaluate changes in participant knowledge.
• Employed the Staff Observation Assessment Scale Revised (SOAS-R) for aggression data collection.
• Incorporated in situ simulation training for de-escalation techniques.

Main Results:

• Participant knowledge of de-escalation techniques significantly increased.
• The program demonstrated potential for reducing violence risk.
• Valuable insights were gained for refining program implementation.

Conclusions:

• Violence management programs can enhance risk management effectiveness.
• Integrating aggression data collection with incident reporting is crucial.
• Involving behavioral response teams in incident tracking is recommended.