Northside Hospital is a large hospital system with 5 acute care hospitals (1,890 inpatient beds) and over 400 outpatient clinics in the Metro Atlanta area (one of the fastest growing regions in the country), providing care across 25 counties. From 2016-2020, our system saw over 212,000 ED visits for mental and behavioral health disorders, comprising 38% of the state of Georgia's total. Our presentation focuses on strategies implemented to manage aggressive patients in an acute care hospital setting, to include the emergency department, across a multi-campus system. We'll discuss various strategies and tools utilized by clinical and non-clinical staff in the care and management of aggressive and/or violent patients. Our tiered approach includes utilization of Violent Patient Alerts, High-Risk Rounds and Behavioral Emergency Response Team. We'll share brief history of our system, the tiered approach we use today and its impact within our system, as well as plans for the future. Our tiered approach includes utilization of Violent Patient Alerts, High-Risk Rounds and Behavioral Emergency Response Team. We will provide detail on each aspect of our tiered approach. Our method involves clinicians of various disciplines - psychiatry, nursing, LCSWs/LPCs, as well as non-clinical staff (security, constant observer/sitters) and we will share the role of each, focusing on how they work together to manage the aggressive and/or violent patient. We will provide information on our tracking, reporting and management of these interventions in addition to data on our process to date.
Learning Objectives: Implement strategies for diffusing aggressive behavior in a general medical setting based on the identified stage of conflict. Identify safe options to prevent and manage patient aggression. Identify strategies and tools to minimize risk when caring for the aggressive or violent patient.
