Utilization of Staff Education to Improve the Management of Aggression and Violence in the Rural Inpatient Psychiatric Setting

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) is a global concern and an occupational hazard faced by healthcare professionals worldwide. Aggression and violence can result in serious injury to the patient, healthcare professional, other patients, or visitors and cause stress to healthcare workers, and increase work absences (Picot, 2021). Purpose: This DNP process improvement project aim was to utilize an educational training program on violence risk assessment, therapeutic communication, and verbal de-escalation techniques, to improve the confidence of mental health nursing staff in using early intervention to manage aggressive, violent patients. This education and early intervention reduced rates of aggression and violence escalation, seclusion, and restraint use in the rural inpatient psychiatric setting. Methods: The educational training intervention was presented face-to-face using PowerPoint and handouts. Data were collected pre-intervention and post-intervention via a survey method. Data were analyzed to determine any statistical differences in staff knowledge and confidence. Results: Post-education knowledge and confidence of nurses increased. The use of verbal de-escalation also increased. Conclusion: Educational intervention resulted in increased knowledge, confidence, and greater use of verbal de-escalation techniques. However, more frequent teaching and coaching are needed to adopt the change