Staff Injuries Sustained During Altercations with Psychiatric Patients

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Abstract
Most studies of violence within mental health facilities have focused on patient assaults. In the present study, we examined all types of patient-staff altercations that resulted in a staff member losing time from work. In the 500-bed psychiatric institution we studied, there were 123 such incidents over a 7.5-year period. Compared to incidents that resulted in no time being lost from work, lost-time incidents more often resulted from staff members restraining patients than from patients assaulting staff. In general, the injuries sustained during patient assaults tended to be relatively minor; the injuries sustained in restraints, such as falls, sprains, or strains, tended to much more serious in terms of time lost from work. The implications of the study for staff training are discussed.