Safety Issues in Psychiatric Settings
Purpose:
The purpose of the paper is to establish if mental health workers (nurses, doctors, clinical psychologists) in Slovene psychiatric settings perceive their work as potentially dangerous and which factors contribute mostly to these mindsets. On the basis of gained data recommendations for safety improvement are suggested.
Design/Methods/Approach:
Review of three studies conducted in different psychiatric settings in Slovenia.
Findings:
Just a few mental health workers perceive their work as dangerous. Among those that are most frequently victims of violent behaviour are male and female nurses, especially under circumstances of involuntary admission, involuntary pharmacological treatment and when special security measures are applied. Participants think that workers would need more self defence trainings, additional competent medical staff (foremost male nurses), communication trainings and better cooperation in their working teams. Moreover, those hurt in such incidents should get more systematic help. Sometimes security personnel also intervene, however, they are not qualified for such interventions and special trainings should be provided.
Research limitations/implications:
Our findings have a limited value because the studies have been performed in the course of different years, different questionnaires were applied and participants also differed (their profession, working tasks, demographic data etc.).
Practical implications:
Our findings can be used by psychiatric hospital management to plan trainings for mental health workers and organize them according to personnel’s necessities. Results also imply the necessity to train security personnel.
Originality/Value:
In the past merely analyses of incident reports were made on this topic. However, this paper sheds some light on perceptions and experiences of mental health workers directly exposed to patients’ violent behaviour.
UDC: 616.89-052:343.62
Keywords: psychiatric setting, violent behaviour, mental health workers, safety, security personnel