Dealing with it at the time it occurs may not be the safest depending on a patient's temperament. I don't know about you, but I've worked on a Med-Surg unit in one of the roughest neighborhoods in my state. We had A LOT of patients with unpredictable and violent behavior who would become erratic just because you didn't bring them a juice in a timely manner. Or they'd become erratic because they couldn't get a narcotic they were looking for. Sure, we point out to them that their behavior is inappropriate. However, some of these people are so drunk or high on substances that they're not going to remember that they were being inappropriate or that we told them they were inappropriate. If they don't remember and then see it in a note and become upset, then what? I personally document behavior in my notes, so that there's a trail in case anything goes down. I have been both verbally and physically assaulted and I have witnessed this with coworkers, as well.
