ABSTRACT

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) in healthcare is a pervasive issue, particularly in inpatient psychiatric settings. Despite numerous interventions aimed at mitigating instances of WPV, staff injuries and assaults remain a significant concern.
Problem: An adult inpatient psychiatric unit within a university hospital was experiencing persistently elevated rates of staff assaults and injuries.
Intervention: A quality improvement project implemented the Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression (DASA) tool and interdisciplinary safety huddles to proactively assess and manage aggression risk.
Methods: A six-month pre-post analysis study design was used. Staff received training on use of DASA and safety huddles. Data on staff assaults and injuries was collected throughout the intervention. Data was analyzed using paired t-test and descriptive statistics.
Results: Staff assaults decreased by 60% and staff injuries by 86.36%. Both reductions were statistically and clinically significant.
Conclusions: Implementation of DASA and safety huddles resulted in a meaningful reduction in WPV incidents. The intervention is both sustainable and scalable.