title: Enhancing the Safety Climate and Reducing Violence Against Staff in Closed Hospital Wards.
abstract: This study examined the effectiveness of an intervention program to enhance unit safety climate and minimize employee risk of injury from patient violence. The intervention program, including a 3-day workshop, was offered to personnel on maximum security units of an Israeli psychiatric hospital. Safety climate was examined before and after the implementation of the intervention, and incidents of patient violence were investigated. Six months after the intervention, a significant improvement in employees' perceptions of management's commitment to safety as well as a marginally significant improvement in communication about safety issues were found. This study demonstrated that an intervention program to enhance safety climate was associated with a decrease in the number of aggressive incidents. The researchers concluded that this intervention program is likely to return a sense of safety to workers and reduce workplace violence.
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Haifa.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Isaak
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Haifa.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vashdi
authors.affiliation: 2 Sha'ar Menashe Mental Health Center.
authors.forename: Dor
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bar-Noy
authors.affiliation: 2 Sha'ar Menashe Mental Health Center.
authors.forename: Hava
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kostisky
authors.affiliation: 2 Sha'ar Menashe Mental Health Center.
authors.forename: Shmuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirschmann
authors.affiliation: 2 Sha'ar Menashe Mental Health Center.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grinshpoon
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D017751:Safety Management / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D064450:Workplace Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*
keywords: health care; intervention; public sector; safety climate; violence