Reducing Employee Injuries from Aggressive Patient Behavior at Children's Hospital by Implementing a Behavioral...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Hospitalized children's aggressive behavior poses risks to healthcare staff.
• Employee injuries from patient aggression are a significant concern in pediatric care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a behavioral response team (BRT) in reducing employee injuries.
• To decrease monthly employee injuries related to aggressive patient behavior in a children's hospital.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary team implemented a BRT using quality improvement methodology.
• Data on Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)-recordable injuries and acute care visits were collected.
• The study compared injury rates before and after BRT implementation for patients aged 3 years and older.

Main Results:

• The maximum days between OSHA-recordable injuries increased from 163 to 271 days post-implementation.
• Monthly employee injuries decreased from 3.4 to 1.7 per 1,000 acute care visits.
• The BRT model involved an average of 101 proactive rounds and 17 reactive responses monthly.

Conclusions:

• The BRT model effectively reduces employee injuries associated with aggressive patient behavior.
• Implementing a BRT is a recommended strategy for enhancing workplace safety in pediatric hospitals.