Staff at psychiatric hospitals often face threats of physical violence

In a survey of 348 workers at a large psychiatric hospital, 99% of the staff reported verbal conflict with patients, and 70% reported being assaulted during the previous 12 months. Verbal conflict with other staff was also high, at 92%.

The findings, which are published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, indicate that efforts are needed to identify the factors that contribute to conflict in psychiatric hospitals and to determine how staff should respond to conflicts and assaults.

"We are beginning to broaden our approach to examining the factors that lead to conflict and assault in inpatient settings, and this will help us to design safer environments that are less conducive to these problems," said lead author Dr. Erin Kelly.