Training Nurses in Trauma-Informed Care to Address Workplace Violence in Inpatient Settings

Area of Science:

• Psychiatric Nursing
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Trauma-Informed Care

Background:

• Frontline psychiatric staff face high rates of workplace violence (40-65% of nurses).
• Workplace violence poses significant risks in acute care psychiatric settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess staff readiness and motivation for adopting trauma-informed care (TIC).
• To address workplace violence in an acute care psychiatric hospital.

Main Methods:

• Pilot study utilizing a pre-post quality improvement design.
• Intervention included a discussion-based seminar and practical exercise.
• Surveys measured participant readiness and motivation post-training.

Main Results:

• 92.6% of staff felt prepared to use TIC principles after initial training.
• 100% of staff completing both training parts were motivated to apply the TIC model.
• TIC training positively impacted self-reported strategies for violence reduction.

Conclusions:

• TIC education may enhance nurses' self-reported strategies for managing workplace violence.
• Training in trauma-informed care can equip staff with essential skills for practice.
• Further implementation of TIC principles is recommended to improve safety.