The Reduction of Aggressive Patient Behaviors through Early Screenings and De-escalation Techniques

Background: Since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals have been experiencing higher volumes of patients than years prior. During this higher influx of patients, many facilities have witnessed increased incidences of patients becoming aggressive and even violent while waiting for care or receiving care. As a result, 44% of nurses have reported being physically abused by a patient, and 68% of nurses report being verbally abused by a patient. Despite research, currently there is no standard protocol for identifying, preventing, and de-escalating violence. Therefore, this article seeks to answer what effect early risk assessment screenings and de-escalation techniques have on the reduction of patient violence and aggression, in patients who may be mentally unstable or confused, within the healthcare setting while promoting safety for staff. Literature review: For the purpose of the study, the literature selected should review the facts around patient aggression and the causes for it, as well as different studies that have implemented education, screening protocols, and/or de-escalation techniques to mitigate or reduce aggressive patient events within the hospital. Methods: For this proposal, a collection of emergency departments, behavioral units, and medical units at high risk for patient aggression should be asked to implement a series of interventions to reduce aggressive patient events. Interventions used in this study include staff training and education on identifying and de-escalating possible aggressive behaviors, implementing patient screenings to be completed on admission and re-evaluated each shift, post-violent-event surveys, and informing security of patients at high-risk of becoming violent or aggressive during their stay. Evaluation: The effectiveness of this study can be measured in the number of incidences of patient aggression reported within the unit or hospital that these interventions have been tested in. Ideally, the results should indicate a decrease in events that occur within the pilot locations