Reducing Emergency Department Violence

Violence against nurses has become a prevalent and complicated problem seen in the Emergency Department. In current research, violence has been cited as a major cause of dissatisfaction among healthcare workers in the Emergency Department and has been known to have significant negative effects on nurses’ mental and physical well-being. Currently, one in every three nurses reported experiencing workplace violence from patients. Educational programs have been proven to be one of the most effective methods of improving nurses’ knowledge of violence prevention. The purpose of this process change is to improve ER nurses’ knowledge and competence of violent situations. In order to determine the effectiveness of an educational program in preventing violence against nurses, a year long study was conducted on nurses in one Emergency Department. All the nurses in the unit were required to attend an in-person training seminar on the recognition of impending violence and de-escalation techniques. The training consisted of classroom presentations on recognition of violence and violent situations, and de-escalation techniques, as well as simulated scenarios, and walk-throughs of the hospital environment to identify safety resources that can be used in the event of a violent incident. Two questionnaires were provided for the nurses to fill out, one before and one following the training to evaluate their knowledge and understanding of workplace violence and violence prevention. Prior to the training, the average self-reported score from the nurses on the unit when it came to overall knowledge and competence of violence and violence prevention was a 4/10. Following the training, the average self-reported score was an 8/10, showing a significant increase in competence and understanding of workplace violence and prevention methods