An evaluation of staff training in psychological techniques for the management of patient aggression

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Abstract
Training for staff working with violent patients is frequently recommended, sometimes implemented, but rarely objectively evaluated. In this longitudinal study 47 nurses attending a training day to learn strategies for coping with violent psychiatric patients were compared with 108 non-attending control group subjects. The rate of assaults on staff on wards taking part in the study was 31% lower after implementation of the training and wards sending a majority of staff to the training experienced a particularly significant reduction in assaults. The effectiveness of this 1-day training package is discussed.