Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
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Emergency nurses experience a myriad of negative consequences associated with workplace assault. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of emergency nurses using the Ecological Occupational Health Model of Workplace Assault. ⋯ Workplace assault in the ED setting is associated with consequences of workplace assault to patients and visitors as well as negative effects to emergency nurses, the workplace, and patient care. Emergency nurses need to seek and also offer emotional support after workplace assault. Providing support could serve as a deterrent to retaliation while minimizing potential adverse impacts to nurses' psychological health and work productivity.
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Patient violence in health care facilities occurs daily. Structured risk assessments, when regularly completed, have been effective in prompting interventions to reduce aggression in Behavioral Health (BH) settings. ⋯ Using an evidence-based screening tool helped identify BH patients with behaviors associated with aggressive ED events. Proactive use of interventions, including use of Comfort Cart items, de-escalation, and prescribed medications, can positively influence reduction of risk from aggressive behaviors within BH patient populations in EDs.
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Workplace violence is not a unique problem to organizations. Evidence-based toolkits and strategies are available to help provide a guiding framework for the reduction of workplace violence events. As times and stressors (both personal and environmental) change, hospitals must keep constant attention on how to address and implement initiatives to keep staff safe. This manuscript addresses steps taken at 1 hospital to meet this challenge. ⋯ Workplace violence is not part of the job. Ongoing work is needed to continue to move the needle and make hospitals a safer place to work. Engagement from all levels of the organization is necessary to have a successful program.
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Violence risk assessment is commonplace in mental health settings and is gradually being used in emergency care. The aim of this review was to explore the efficacy of undertaking violence risk assessment in reducing patient violence and to identify which tool(s), if any, are best placed to do so. ⋯ There is a paucity of high-quality evidence evaluating the psychometric properties of violence risk assessment tools currently used along the emergency care pathway. Multiple tools exist, and they could have a role in reducing violence in emergency care. However, the limited testing of their psychometric properties, acceptability, feasibility, and usability in emergency care means that it is not possible to favor one tool over another until further research is conducted.