Characteristics of aggressive incidents in emergency primary health care described by the Staff Observation Aggression Scale – Revised Emergency (SOAS-RE)

Abstract

Background: Workplace violence in emergency primary health care is prevalent, but longitudinal studies using validated assessment scales to describe the characteristics of workplace violence in these settings are lacking. The aim of the present study was to determine the characteristics of aggressive incidents in emergency primary health care clinics in Norway. Methods: Incidents of workplace violence were reported with the Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised Emergency (SOAS-RE). The study was conducted in ten emergency primary health care clinics over a period of one year. Results: A total of 320 aggressive incidents were registered. The mean overall SOAS-RE score for reported aggressive incidents was 9.7 on a scale from 0 to 22, and 60% of the incidents were considered severe. Incidents of verbal aggression accounted for 31.6% of all reported incidents, threats accounted for 24.7%, and physical aggression accounted for 43.7%. Verbal aggression was most often provoked by long waiting time. Physical aggression was most often provoked when the patient had to go through an involuntary assessment of health condition. Almost one third of the aggressors were females, and nurses were the most frequent targets of all aggression types. No differences in psychological stress were found between types of aggression. Conclusions: This study shows that workplace violence in emergency primary health care clinics is a severe problem. Patterns in provocation and consequences of aggressive incidents can be used to improve our understanding of and prevention and follow-up procedures of such incidents.

An integrative review of waiting time, queuing, and design as contributory factors to emergency department violence

“…Violence was generally described as being verbal rather than physical. [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] ED Violence appeared to be more common in the evening 25,33 or during the night. 26,33 Common reasons for interpersonal community violence included alcohol and illicit drug intoxication, 19,24,25,28,[33][34][35][36] mental health issues, 25,28,33,37,38 and cognitive disorders.…”

Aggressive Behavior and Psychiatric Inpatients: a Narrative Review of the Literature with a Focus on the European Experience

“…In Switzerland, a multiple regression analysis study evidenced that besides EDs, a high verbal and physical aggression hazard was present in intensive care units, recovery units, anesthesia, intermediate care, and step-down units [46]. A recent investigation carried out in Norway in ten emergency clinics over 1 year [47], using the Staff Observation of Aggression scale-Revised (SOAS-R), registered a total of 320 aggressive incidents, 60% of which were severe. Verbal aggression episodes accounted for 31.6% of all incidents, threats for 24.7%, and physical aggressions for 43.7%.…”

“…Studies conducted on Norwegian and Irish staff individuated long waiting, involuntary examinations, and poor communication as major contributors to aggressive enactments in EDs [47,106].…”

A 360-Degree Examination of the Placement Fit of Medical Clowns

“…We de ne aggression, as per Rippon (36, p. 456) as "a behavior with intent that is directed at doing harm to a living being whether harm results or not…aggression can be physical or verbal, active or passive, and can be focused on the victim(s) directly or indirectly". Aggressive behavior of health consumers towards medical staff in hospitals is a dangerous global problem that has potentially detrimental outcomes for staff (37)(38)(39), as well as high nancial costs for the hospital (40). This phenomenon is therefore labelled as an "epidemic" (41), which constitutes an occupational hazard (42).…”