Assault Reduction

[imh_assault]

Are you confident to handle aggressive ptients in your unit? Is there training prog/ guide provided for you to reduce assault incidents at the workplace?

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

Only the psych nurses get that type of training in our hospital, unfortunately.

I would never feel "confident" to handle aggressive patients, no matter how much training I had. It only takes one....

[imh_assault]

I suppose the training prog is ineffective, Or maybe other factors like lack of relevant training contents, lack refresher course, and poor management support, or even attitude and motivational factors...Could you share the training prog conducted in your unit, its duration?

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

Maybe I didn't make myself clear. I'm a tele/med-surg nurse and not psych. I didn't ever get any training. Only the psych nurses working psych units get any training.

Someone gets outta line, we call a Code for a disruptive patient and suddenly there are swarms of people to help get the patient calmed, medicated, or restrained. That's all.

[aeauooo]

When I started as a new nurse, the RNI orientation at Harborview in Seattle included a session on "aggression control," which was essentially a self-defense class with instruction on how to take someone down without hurt her/him. All incoming RNIs received aggression control training.

The techniques I learned worked very well - at Harborview. When I left and started working other hospitals I would walk into the room of an out-of-control patient expecting my colleagues to come in the room with me, and turn around to see them standing at the door.

I'm a big guy and, up until a few years ago, I could "handle it" most of the time, but I'm in my mid-40s now, and I started getting hurt, so I don't do it anymore. I'll yell for help, and if I turn around and see people standing at the door, I walk out and let security handle it.

I'm trying to get out of bedside nursing before I end up injured and disabled, and I don't receive hazard pay.

In short, don't try to handle it by yourself. Everyone one needs to know what to do, or it doesn't work. On the other hand, it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a self-defense course.

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

In the hospital setting I had no training on how to handle an aggressive patient (or once or twice, family member). We would generally just call for security - which was almost always a waste of time as they had less trainig than we did (don't forget we didn't have any training in that) and the incident would usually be quelled by the time they strolled up the the unit or would be so far beyond their controll that they couldn't handle it anyhow. When I became a school nurse I was in charge of students up to age 21 and was properly trained in how to handle a violent or aggressive outburst. This included restraint techniques as well as verbal disarming (and actual disarming - as anything can become a weapon).