title: Safe strategies for potentially violent patients, Part 1.
abstract: The first of a two-part series on workplace violence in the healthcare setting, this article focuses on what each individual healthcare worker can do to reduce the likelihood of a verbal assault escalating into a physical assault. Workplace violence is defined, and signs that may predict violent behavior are listed. Techniques to reduce the possibility that a healthcare worker will be injured in a violent situation are presented, including tips for spoken communication, body language, and disengagement. The second of the two-part series highlights administrative and operational steps that decrease the probability of experiencing workplace violence.
authors.affiliation: Quality America, Inc., PO Box 8787, Asheville, NC 28814, USA. sdunn@quality-america.com
authors.forename: Sheila G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Alholm
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D016272:Occupational Health; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011216:Practice Management, Medical; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D012449:Safety; D012637:Security Measures; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*