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Aggression In Nursing

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The incidence of aggression is all too common and most healthcare workers have experienced it at one point or another in their career. Nurses have a 3x higher risk for encountering aggression/ violence than any other health care worker and they have a 1 in 10 chance of being injured by a patient during their careers. (Delaney, J., Cleary, M., Jordan, R., & Horsfall, J. 2001)
The objective of both of the studies was to review current evidence for managing aggressive patients behaviors, and the definition that was used in both studies was: “aggression is defined as any verbal, non-verbal or physical behavior that was threatening to the self, others or property, or physical behavior that actually harmed self, others or property.” (Foster, C., …show more content…

(Foster et al 2007)
In both the, Chloe foster, Len Bowers, and Henk Nijman and the Delaney, J., Cleary, M., Jordan, R., & Horsfall studies the aim of the study was to explore how nursing staff manage and identify aggressive situations. The Chloe foster, Len Bowers, and Henk Nijman study utilized data from a staff observation aggression scale, and the Delaney, J., Cleary, M., Jordan, R., & Horsfall study utilized surveys, focus groups, and an audit of aggression incident forms.
According to their findings, aggressive behavior in patients can be shown in several forms, from a patient yelling to a violent attack. The evidence shows that regardless of the type of aggression experienced, the effects on nurses are not only physically, but psychologically damaging, which can lead to increased stress, fear, increased absence and low morale in the nurses working in psychiatric units. (Bowers et al. …show more content…

(Foster et al. 2007).
According a study done by Delaney, Cleary; Horsfall (2001), prevention and management of aggression is priority and should be the focus for all nursing staff. According to the evidence, prevention requires special skills and knowledge that staff can learn to utilize to predict and prevent aggression in patients, and there needs to be a more organized approach to data collecting and patient assessment to really understand the extent of the problem of aggression.
Some of the important processes that are discussed in Delaney, Cleary; Horsfall’s study that help to manage aggression are: de-escalation skills, risk assessments, communication skills, and when needed, restraint skills. The study also mentions the importance of continued education and training for nursing staff in preventing and controlling violent

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