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Violence, alcohol and drugs: The views of nurses and patients on psychiatric intensive care units, acute adult wards and forensic wards

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2009

Ignatius Loubser ,
Robert Chaplin  and
Alan Quirk
Ignatius Loubser
Affiliation:
The College Research and Training Unit (CRTU), Standon House, London Honorary Research Worker/Specialist Registrar
Robert Chaplin*
Affiliation:
Research Fellow/Consultant Psychiatrist
Alan Quirk
Affiliation:
Research Fellow/Research Sociologist
*
Correspondence to: Dr. Robert Chaplin, The College Research and Training Unit (CRTU), 4th Floor, Standon House, 21 Mansell Street, London, E1 8AA. E-mail: rchaplin@cru.rcpsych.ac.uk
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Abstract

Aims and method: To measure the numbers of staff and patients experiencing physical assault, and identify the perception of staff and patients regarding alcohol and drug related violence on Psychiatric Intensive Care wards (PICUs), acute adult wards and forensic wards. Postal questionnaires were received from 2761 individuals. They yielded quantitative and qualitative data. Further information arose from discussion groups of staff at feedback events.

Results: Nurses on PICUs (61%) were more likely to report assault than those on acute wards (45%) or forensic wards (33%). Patients on PICUs (25%) were significantly more likely to report assault than those on acute wards (14%) but not forensic wards (23%). Nurses were more likely than patients to report that drugs and alcohol had caused violence on their ward. Nurses on PICUs and forensic wards thought drug use was more likely to cause violence than alcohol. Compared with PICUs, more nurses considered that violence was due to alcohol and drugs on acute wards but not on forensic wards. Many nurses on PICUs carried out personal searches but few had received training in this.

Conclusion: Nurses on PICUs appear to be at particularly high risk of violence. Reducing the availability of illegal drugs on PICUs and improvement of staff training could be important means of reducing violence.

Keywords

Violencesubstance misusedrugspsychiatric intensive care units (PICU)acute adult wardsforensic wards
Type
Original Article
Information
Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , June 2009 , pp. 33 - 39
Copyright
Copyright © NAPICU 2009

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