ABSTRACT
Ethical standards and current law demand that acute care psychiatric patients be treated with respect, using the least restrictive interventions. Unfortunately, as restraint use has decreased, assault and injury of mental health care workers has increased. Violence against those working in acute care psychiatry is a serious global issue that needs further examination. This study provides current, in depth information about the nature, frequency and severity of assaults and injuries of psychiatric nurses. This study also examined assault and injury in relation to the nurse's decision to restrain. The findings of this study were compared with findings of an earlier study carried out by one of the authors (Moylan) prior to the institution of policies, which are more restrictive in the use of restraint. In a sample of 110 nurses from five institutions, 80% of the nurses were assaulted, 65% had been injured and 26% had been seriously injured. Injuries included fractures, eye injuries and permanent disability. The number and severity of injuries have increased significantly since the 1996 study. Nurses who had been injured decided to restrain later in the progression of aggression than those who had not been injured.
Subject(s)
Aggression/psychology , Decision Making/physiology , Nursing Staff, Hospital/psychology , Psychiatric Nursing/methods , Restraint, Physical/adverse effects , Restraint, Physical/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Aged , Attitude of Health Personnel , Female , Hospitals, Psychiatric , Humans , Interview, Psychological , Male , Middle Aged , Occupational Health , Restraint, Physical/psychology , Time Factors , Trauma Severity Indices , Violence/prevention & control , Violence/psychology , Wounds and Injuries/psychology , Young AdultABSTRACT
During the last 2 decades, interest in and use of alternative modalities of health care has proliferated. As the public demand for such therapies increased, nursing has been among a few of the health professions to fill this need. Some of these therapies may prove to be valuable, others may be shown to be ineffective, and others may be harmful. Presently, many alternative methods have not been tested by using rigorous scientific methods. In addition, standardization in education and credentialing of practitioners of these modalities is lacking. As health care professionals, nurses have a responsibility to their patients and to their profession to validate the safety and efficacy of their practice. It is incumbent on the recognized bodies of the nursing profession to address these serious issues. The safety of patients and the reputation of the profession of nursing may depend on it.
