Emergency department staff experiences of the Bröset Violence Checklist

Abstract

Aim: Work-related violence is a significant problem in healthcare settings and emergency departments are one of the highest at-risk locations. There have been significant challenges in identifying successful risk-mitigation strategies to reduce the incidence and impact of work-related violence in this setting. This research explores the perspectives of clinical staff who routinely use violence risk assessment to provide recommendations for improvements.

Design: This qualitative research used interviews of staff who routinely use of the Bröset Violence Checklist in an emergency department. The study was conducted in April 2022.

Method: Interview transcripts were subjected to Thematic Analysis to explore participants' clinical experiences and judgements about the utility of the Bröset Violence Checklist.

Results: Eleven staff participated in semi-structured interviews. Participants described themes about the benefits of routine violence risk assessment and the influence of the subjective opinion of the scorer with respect to the emergency department patient cohort. Four categories of violence risk factors were identified: historical, clinical, behavioural and situational. Situational risks were considered important for tailoring the tool for context-specificity. Limitations of the BVC were identified, with recommendations for context-specific indicators.

Conclusion: Routine violence risk assessment using the Bröset Violence Checklist was deemed useful for emergency departments, however, it has limitations.

Impact: This study's findings offer potential solutions to reduce violence affecting front-line workers and practical processes that organizations can apply to increase staff safety.

Implications: The findings produced recommendations for future research and development to enhance utility of the Bröset Violence Checklist.

Reporting method: EQUATOR guidelines were adhered to and COREQ was used.

Patient or public contribution: No patient or public contribution was involved in this study.

Keywords: emergency nursing and medicine; risk assessment; staff safety; workplace violence.