Case-controlled Analysis of Patient-based Risk Factors for Assault in the Healthcare Workplace

The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine
Ilene A ClaudiusSean Henderson

Abstract

Violence against healthcare workers in the medical setting is common and associated with both physical and psychological adversity. The objective of this study was to identify features associated with assailants to allow early identification of patients at risk for committing an assault in the healthcare setting. We used the hospital database for reporting assaults to identify cases from July 2011 through June 2013. Medical records were reviewed for the assailant's (patient's) past medical and social history, primary medical complaints, ED diagnoses, medications prescribed, presence of an involuntary psychiatric hold, prior assaultive behavior, history of reported illicit drug use, and frequency of visits to same hospital requesting prescription for pain medications. We selected matched controls at random for comparison. The primary outcome measure(s) reported are features of patients committing an assault while undergoing medical or psychiatric treatment within the medical center. We identified 92 novel visits associated with an assault. History of an involuntary psychiatric hold was noted in 52%, history of psychosis in 49%, a history of violence in the ED on a prior visit in 45%, aggression at index visit noted in the ED cha...Continue Reading

Citations

Dec 22, 2019·Academic Psychiatry : the Journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry·Scott A SimpsonMelanie Rylander
Jun 19, 2021·Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services·Deborah SalaniBeth King

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