The effects of an aggressive behavior management program on nurses' levels of knowledge, confidence, and safety

Violence in the workplace is increasing, and unfortunately, hospitals are not exempt from the problem. Nurses are the primary caregivers in hospitals and are more likely to encounter violence because of the amount of time spent in direct patient care. Many nurses have not been trained to manage explosive situations. This project was developed to provide a program titled, "Managing Aggressive Behavior," to nurses and to measure and compare the differences in levels of knowledge and feelings of safety and confidence among nurses who attended the workshop versus a group who did not. The data revealed a significant difference in knowledge in the program group (P < 0.001) but no significant changes in safety (P = 0.367) or confidence (P = 0.440). No significant changes were found among the variables in the treatment group. Suggestions for further research and teaching are given.