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Registered Nurses’ and Behavior Health Associates’ Responses to Violent Inpatient Interactions on Behavioral Health Units

BACKGROUND: Violence carried out by patients against nursing staff unsettles and threatens coworkers as they care for individuals admitted to inpatient psychiatric units. OBJECTIVE: This study explored nursing staff’s individual and group responses to violent incidents performed by patients against caregivers. DESIGN: This qualitative study used focus groups to collect data from professional nurses and behavioral health associations (N = 19) recruited from urban, inpatient psychiatric unit. Data were analyzed thematically. RESULTS: Sharing information about violence, intervening therapeutically, intervening nontherapeutically, recognizing team influences, experiencing emotions following violence, and understanding the work environment comprised the major themes of the experience. CONCLUSIONS: Findings may stimulate discussions and education sessions that address strategies helpful to nursing staff so that incidents are prevented and staff is supported following such disturbing events. Events of workplace violence, including those occurring on behavioral mental health in inpatient units, require accurate individual and aggregate reporting to develop interventions and evaluate effectiveness of violence reduction strategies.