Evaluating a Workplace Violence Management Program and Nurses' Confidence in Coping With Patient Aggression.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate nurse confidence in coping with patient aggression after implementing a workplace violence prevention program that includes management and postevent support. BACKGROUND: Patient aggression toward nurses is increasing, leading many healthcare organizations to develop workplace violence prevention programs. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a large healthcare system in the Midwestern United States. Clinical nurses caring for adult patients across the care continuum ≥51% of the time were invited to participate. RESULTS: In situ simulation plus standard training did not have a significant impact on confidence after controlling for the year education occurred; however, nurses completing training in 2022 had significantly higher confidence than nurses completing training in 2019. Use of the Violence Assessment Tool and participating in a post-control alert debriefing were also associated with significantly higher confidence. CONCLUSION: Factors other than education may influence nurses' confidence in coping with patient aggression.

Implementation of a Violence Risk Assessment and Interventions Aimed at the Prevention of Patient-Perpetrated Violent Events Across Care Settings.

Healthcare worker violence at the hands of patients is the leading cause of workplace injury with reports demonstrating yearly increases. Literature suggests organizational strategies to reduce workplace injury are necessary to create safe environments for patients to receive care and for healthcare workers to practice, but tactics lack a care continuum focus and largely focus on deescalation and management of violent events. One healthcare system identified that the use of an assessment widely used in Canada, identifying patients at risk for violent behaviors, would supplement already existing efforts at protecting patients. The implementation of this tool across care settings is presented in this article.

Selecting an Instrument for Assessing the Risk of Patient Violence Across a Healthcare System.

ABSTRACT: Physical violence is one of the leading causes of nurse injury in the workplace. Studies indicate patients most often incite the violence and both patient and organization factors contribute to violent events. It has been suggested that an assessment be done upon admission to identify those patients at risk for violent behavior. To implement this intervention, organizations must objectively select a screening instrument that is accurate, easy to use, and appropriate for multiple patient populations.

The Use of a Patient Discharge Lounge and the Impact on 30-Day Hospital Readmission.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate if there is a relationship between the use of a patient discharge hospitality center (DHC) and hospital readmissions. BACKGROUND: Hospital discharge lounges or DHCs have been developed to improve patient throughput. No studies have been conducted to determine if a discharge location influences hospital readmission. METHODS: Data were extracted for adults discharged to home or self-care. Patients were stratified by discharge/last department and admitting/discharge service lines. Readmission rates between groups in the stratified data were compared. DHC and control patients were matched on gender, marital status, age at admission, type, discharging/last department before the DHC, discharging service line, and readmission risk category. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the readmission rate of the control group (9.74%) compared with the DHC group (9.93%), χ1 (n = 3204) = 0.031, P = .86. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this analysis do not indicate that being discharged from a DHC has an impact on readmission rates.

A comparative study of social capital and hospital readmission in older adults.

Numerous factors contribute to hospital readmissions of older adults. The role social capital may play in preventing hospital readmissions is unknown. The aim of this descriptive, cross-sectional study was to determine if levels of personal social capital differ in two groups of patients aged 65 and older, those readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge and those not readmitted. Participants in this study (N = 106) were community-dwelling older adults discharged from 11 hospitals in the Midwestern United States. The Personal Social Capital Scale and a demographic questionnaire were mailed to eligible participants for completion. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was computed to examine the differences in the dependent variables of bonding and bridging social capital between those patients readmitted within 30 days and those not readmitted within 30 days. No significant differences between the two groups' mean levels of bonding or bridging social capital were identified.