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Preventing assaults on a psychiatric inpatient ward
Hospital & Community Psychiatry
|December 1, 1984
Summary
Preventing patient violence in psychiatric units requires more than standard care. Staff can reduce assaults by establishing anti-violence norms, managing staff reactions, and understanding the impact of incidents on everyone involved.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Mental Health Care
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Aggressive acts on psychiatric wards pose significant risks.
- Standard evaluation and management of violence-prone patients are insufficient for complete prevention.
- Proactive strategies are crucial for maintaining a safe therapeutic environment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline specific preventive measures for psychiatric staff to reduce patient assaults.
- To emphasize the importance of a multi-faceted approach to violence prevention in inpatient psychiatric settings.
- To highlight the role of social norms, staff awareness, and incident management in mitigating violence.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature and clinical experience in psychiatric violence prevention.
- Discussion of key strategies including social norm development, countertransference management, and psychiatrist involvement.
- Emphasis on thorough patient risk assessment and post-incident analysis.
Main Results:
- Establishing a social norm against violence is a key preventive factor.
- Recognizing and managing countertransferential reactions among staff and patients is vital.
- Responsible psychiatrist involvement and prompt attention to the significance of assaults are critical.
Conclusions:
- While appropriate patient management reduces violence, it does not eliminate it.
- A comprehensive strategy involving staff, patient assessment, and incident management is necessary for effective violence prevention.
- Proactive and attentive care can significantly decrease the likelihood of assaults in psychiatric units.