Violence, Management of
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Basics
Description
- EDs and waiting rooms are areas of high prevalence for violence, ranging from verbal assaults to active shooter incidents
- Higher risk associated with busier EDs (>260,000 patient visits/year) and urban trauma centers
- Nurses at highest risk of experiencing violence in the ED
- Violent individuals may be a family member, friend, or visitor rather than the patient
- Violence may not only be directed toward a health care worker, but also toward the patient or visitor
- Risk factors for physical violence in the ED are not well characterized
Etiology
- Pathogenesis not well understood but typically multifactorial
- Acute psychiatric problem:
- Most commonly psychosis or mania
- Chronic psychiatric problem:
- “Cluster B” personality disorders: Antisocial, narcissistic, borderline
- Substance intoxication and withdrawal
- Acute primary medical problem:
- Infectious
- Metabolic
- Toxicologic
- Neurologic
- Chronic primary medical problem:
- Dementia
- Intellectual disability
- Traumatic brain injury
- Psychopathy or criminal behavior
-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please log in or purchase a subscription --
Basics
Description
- EDs and waiting rooms are areas of high prevalence for violence, ranging from verbal assaults to active shooter incidents
- Higher risk associated with busier EDs (>260,000 patient visits/year) and urban trauma centers
- Nurses at highest risk of experiencing violence in the ED
- Violent individuals may be a family member, friend, or visitor rather than the patient
- Violence may not only be directed toward a health care worker, but also toward the patient or visitor
- Risk factors for physical violence in the ED are not well characterized
Etiology
- Pathogenesis not well understood but typically multifactorial
- Acute psychiatric problem:
- Most commonly psychosis or mania
- Chronic psychiatric problem:
- “Cluster B” personality disorders: Antisocial, narcissistic, borderline
- Substance intoxication and withdrawal
- Acute primary medical problem:
- Infectious
- Metabolic
- Toxicologic
- Neurologic
- Chronic primary medical problem:
- Dementia
- Intellectual disability
- Traumatic brain injury
- Psychopathy or criminal behavior
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