title: Staff confidence in dealing with aggressive patients: a benchmarking exercise.
abstract: Interacting with potentially aggressive patients is a common occurrence for nurses working in psychiatric intensive care units. Although the literature highlights the need to educate staff in the prevention and management of aggression, often little, or no, training is provided by employers. This article describes a benchmarking exercise conducted in psychiatric intensive care units at two Western Australian hospitals to assess staff confidence in coping with patient aggression. Results demonstrated that staff in the hospital where regular training was undertaken were significantly more confident in dealing with aggression. Following the completion of a safe physical restraint module at the other hospital staff reported a significant increase in their level of confidence that either matched or bettered the results of their benchmark colleagues.
authors.affiliation: Fremantle Hospital & Health Service, Fremantle, Australia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McGowan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wynaden
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Harding
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yassine
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Parker
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D019985:Benchmarking; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods*; D012649:Self Concept