Interventions for preventing and managing aggressive patients admitted to an acute hospital setting: A systematic review

Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing

Volumn 8, Issue 2, 2011, Pages 76-86

  Kynoch, Kate ^a   Wu, Chiung Jung ^b   Chang, Anne M ^b  

^a MATER HOSPITAL   (Australia)

^b QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY   (Australia)

Author keywords

Abuse; Aggression; Literature review; Patient assault; Systematic review; Violence; Workplace violence

Indexed keywords

ADULT; AGGRESSION; HOSPITAL; HUMAN; METHODOLOGY; NURSING EDUCATION; NURSING PROCESS; PATIENT; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (TOPIC); REVIEW; SAFETY; STANDARD; VIOLENCE; WORKPLACE;

ADULT; AGGRESSION; EDUCATION, NURSING; HOSPITALS; HUMANS; NURSING PROCESS; PATIENTS; RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS AS TOPIC; SAFETY; VIOLENCE; WORKPLACE; YOUNG ADULT;

EID: 79958801082     PISSN: 1545102X     EISSN: 17416787     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-6787.2010.00206.x     Document Type: Review

References (33)

1. Allen M.H., Currier G.W., Hughes D.H., Docherty J.P., Carpenter D. & Ross R. (2003). Treatment of behavioral emergencies: A summary of the expert consensus guidelines. Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 9, 16-38.
2. Arnetz J. & Arnetz B. (2000). Implementation and evaluation of a practical intervention programme for dealing with violence towards healthcare workers. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 31, 668-680.
3. Ayranci U. (2005). Violence towards healthcare workers in emergency departments in West Turkey. Journal of Emergency Medicine, 28, 361-365.
4. Badger F. & Mullan B. (2004). Aggressive and violent incidents: Perceptions of training and support among staff caring for older people and people with head injury. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13, 526-533.
5. Battaglia J., Moss S., Rush J., Kang J., Mendoza R., Leedom L., Dubin W., McGlynn C. & Goodman L. (1997). Haloperidol, lorazepam, or both for psychotic agitation? A multicenter, prospective, double-blind, emergency department study. American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 15, 335-340.
6. Beech B. & Leather P. (2006). Workplace violence in the health care sector: A review of staff training and integration of training evaluation models. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 11, 27-43.
7. Bonner G., Lowe T., Rawcliffe D. & Wellman N. (2002). Trauma for all: A pilot study of the subjective experience of physical restraint for mental health in patients and staff in the UK. Journal of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing, 9, 465-473.
8. College of Nurses of Ontario. (2009). Practice standard: Restraints. Toronto, ON, Canada: College of Nurses of Ontario.
9. Collins J. (1994). Nurses' attitudes towards aggressive behaviour, following attendance at "the prevention and management of aggressive behaviours programme." Journal of Advanced Nursing, 20, 117-131.
10. Deans C. (2003). The effectiveness of a training program for emergency department nurses in managing violent situations. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 21, 17-22.
11. Farrell G., Bobrowski C. & Bobrowski P. (2006). Scoping workplace aggression in nursing: Findings from an Australian study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 55, 778-787.
12. Farrell G. & Cubit K. (2005). Nurses under threat: A comparison of content of 28 aggression management programs. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 14, 44-53.
13. Fraser G.L., Prato B.S., Riker R.R., Berthiaume D. & Wilkins M.L. (2000). Frequency, severity, and treatment of agitation in young versus elderly patients in the ICU. Pharmacotherapy, 20, 75-82.
14. Gerberich S.G., Church T.R., McGovern P.M., Hansen H., Nachreiner N.M., Geisser M.S., Ryan A.D., Mongin S.J., Watt G.D. & Jurek A. (2005). Risk factors for work-related assaults on nurses. Epidemiology, 16, 704-709.
15. Grenyer B., Ilkiw-Lavalle O., Biro P., Middleby-Clements J., Comninos A. & Coleman M. (2004). Safer at work: Development and evaluation of an aggression and violence minimization program Australian and New Zealand. Journal of Psychiatry, 38, 804-810.
16. Joanna Briggs Institute. (2008). JBI Levels of Evidence. Retrieved October 8, 2008, from
17. Knott J., Taylor D. & Castle D. (2006). Randomised clinical trial comparing intravenous midazolam and droperidol for the sedation of the acutely agitated patient in the emergency department. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 47, 61-67.
18. McGowan S., Wynaden D., Harding N., Yassine A. & Parker J. (1999). Staff confidence in dealing with aggressive patients: A benchmarking exercise. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 8, 104-108.
19. Nachreiner N.M., Gerberich S.G., McGovern P.M., Church T.R., Hansen H.E., Geisser M.S. & Ryan A.D. (2005). Impact of training on work-related assault. Research in Nursing & Health, 28, 67-78.
20. Nelstrop L., Chandler-Oatts J., Bingley W., Bleetman T., Corr F., Cronin-Davis J., Fraher D.M., Hardy P., Jones S., Gournay K., Johnston S., Pereira S., Pratt P., Tucker R. & Tsuchiya A. (2006). A systematic review of the safety and effectiveness of restraint and seclusion as interventions for the short-term management of violence in adult psychiatric inpatient settings and emergency departments. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 3, 8-18.
21. Nobay, F., Simon B., Levitt A. & Dresden G. (2004). A prospective, double-blind, randomised trial of midazolam versus haloperidol versus lorazepam in the chemical restraint of violent and severely agitated patients. Academic Emergency Medicine, 11, 744-749.
22. O'Connell B., Young J., Brooks J., Hutchings J. & Lofthouse J. (2000). Nurses' perceptions of the nature and frequency of aggression in general ward setting and high dependency areas. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 9, 602-610.
23. Pratt P. J., Chandler-Oatts J., Nelstrop L., Branford D., Pereira S. & Johnston S. (2008). Establishing gold standard approaches to rapid tranquillisation: A review and discussion of the evidence on the safety and efficacy of medications currently used. Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care, 4, 43-57.
24. Richards J., Derlet R. & Duncan D. (1998). Chemical restraint for the agitated patient in the emergency department: Lorazepam versus droperidol. Journal of Emergency Medicine, 16, 567-573.
25. Riker R., Picard J. & Fraser G. (1999). Prospective evaluation of the sedation-agitation scale in adult ICU patients. Critical Care Medicine, 27, 1325-1329.
26. Rippon T. (2000). Aggression and violence in healthcare professions. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 3, 214-219.
27. Thackrey M. (1987). Clinician confidence in coping with patient aggression: Assessment and enhancement. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 18, 57-60.
28. Thomas H., Schwartz E. & Petrilli R. (1992). Droperidol versus haloperidol for chemical restraint of agitated and combative patients. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 21, 407-413.
29. Wells J. & Bowers L. (2002). How prevalent is violence towards nurses working in general hospitals in the UK? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 39, 230-240.
30. Winstanley S. & Whittington R. (2002). Violence in a general hospital: Comparison of assailant and other assault-related factors on accident and emergency and inpatient wards. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 106 (Suppl.), 144-147.
31. Winstanley S. & Whittington R. (2004). Aggression towards health care staff in a UK general hospital: Variation among professions and departments. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 13, 3-10.
32. Zernike W. & Sharpe P. (1998). Patient aggression in a general hospital setting: Do nurses perceive it to be a problem? International Journal of Nursing Practice, 4, 126-133.
33. Zun L.S. (2003). A prospective study of the complication rate of use of patient restraint in the emergency department. Journal of Emergency Medicine, 24, 119-124.