Abstract
Workplace violence is on the rise in health care settings and is a leading cause of death in health care workers. Violence is directed towards all members of the medical treatment team, not just providers who have been educated in the care of the client with mental health needs. Most non-clinical staff report little to no training in identifying, preventing, or managing these violent acts. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase the confidence of non-clinical staff in providing care to aggressive or violent patients. A pre-survey of staff confidence in managing the care of clients who are aggressive or violent was completed by participants. The survey was a Likert style survey with 5 specific statements. The educational session focused on the recognition of aggressive or violent behavior in individuals in the clinic setting and the use of de-escalation skills to manage this behavior. One month following the educational intervention a post-survey was completed by participants and indicated the majority of participants responded they “agreed” or “strongly agreed” they had the knowledge, skills, ability, confidence, and preparation to manage aggression or violence. It is recommended clinic staff in all practice settings be provided with education regarding the identification and de-escalation of aggressive and violent behaviors to increase their confidence in handling these situations.
Keywords: aggression, workplace violence, de-escalation