The effect of an education program on violence in the emergency department

The effect of an education program on violence in the emergency department

Study Objective: We examine whether a specific educational effort reduces emergency department violence in the short term and quantify the amount of violence in the ED. Methods: Cross-sectional prospective surveys were conducted at a tertiary referral center at baseline (1998) and at 3 and 6 months...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of emergency medicine Vol. 39; no. 1; pp. 47 - 55
Main Authors: Fernandes, Christopher M.B., Raboud, Janet M., Christenson, James M., Bouthillette, France, Bullock, Linda, Ouellet, Leisa, Moore, Catherine (Chris) F.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01-01-2002
Elsevier
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
British Columbia - epidemiology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data
General populations
Humans
Inservice Training
Medical sciences
Occupational Health
Patient Education as Topic
Poisson Distribution
Prevention and actions
Program Evaluation
Prospective Studies
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Violence - prevention & control
Violence - statistics & numerical data
United States
North America
America
British Columbia
Human
Prevention
System evaluation
Emergency department
Violence
Educational schedule
Health education
Public health
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Summary:Study Objective: We examine whether a specific educational effort reduces emergency department violence in the short term and quantify the amount of violence in the ED. Methods: Cross-sectional prospective surveys were conducted at a tertiary referral center at baseline (1998) and at 3 and 6 months (1999) after the Prevention and Management of Aggressive Behavior Program (PMABP). ED staff on all shifts for 7 alternate days in a 2-week period were surveyed. We measured the total and mean number of physical and violent events per survey. A generalized estimating equation Poisson regression model examined the effect of the program on the numbers of physically and verbally violent events per shift per employee, after adjusting for other covariates. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Results: Physical violence events per survey at baseline, 3 months posttraining, and 6 months posttraining were 0.27, 0.10, and 0.21, respectively. The number of reported violent interactions at the same intervals were 49, 19, and 46 (adjusted OR 1.0, 0.35 [95% CI 0.15 to 0.84], and 0.79 [95% CI 0.48 to 1.40]), respectively. Verbal violence events per survey at baseline, 3 months posttraining, and 6 months posttraining were 0.85, 0.31, and 0.51, respectively. The number of reported interactions involving verbal violence at the same intervals were 154, 58, and 69 (adjusted OR 1.0, 0.31 [95% CI 0.21 to 0.46], and 0.47 [95% CI 0.33 to 0.66]), respectively. Conclusion: Violent events are frequent in the ED. Education programs may reduce the number of events at least temporarily but do not clearly reduce violence in the long term. [Fernandes CMB, Raboud JM, Christenson JM, Bouthillette F, Bullock L, Ouellet L, Moore CF, for the Violence in the Emergency Department Study (VITES) Group. The effect of an education program on violence in the emergency department. Ann Emerg Med. January 2002;39:47-55.]
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:0196-0644
1097-6760
DOI:10.1067/mem.2002.121202