{"title":"Impact of the presence of a mediator on patient violent or uncivil behaviours in emergency departments: a cluster randomised crossover trial.","authors":"Sandrine Touzet, Karine Buchet-Poyau, Angélique Denis, Pauline Occelli, Laurent Jacquin, Véronique Potinet, Alain Sigal, Marine Delaroche-Gaudin, Florence Fayard-Gonon, Karim Tazarourte, Marion Douplat","doi":"10.1097/MEJ.0000000000001121","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and importance: </strong>Several studies reported that violent behaviours were committed by patients against healthcare professionals in emergency departments (EDs). The presence of mediators could prevent or resolve situations of tension.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate whether the presence of mediators in EDs would have an impact on violent behaviours committed by patients or their relatives against healthcare professionals. Design, settings and participants A 6-period cluster randomised crossover trial was performed in 4 EDs during 12 months. Patients aged ≥18 and their relatives were included.</p><p><strong>Intervention: </strong>In order to prevent or resolve situations of tension and conflict, four mediators were recruited.Outcome measure and analysis Using a logistic regression mixed model, the rate of ED visits in which at least one act of violence was committed by a patient or their relatives, reported by healthcare professionals, was compared between the intervention group and the control group.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 50 429 ED visits were performed in the mediator intervention group and 50 851 in the control group. The mediators reported 1365 interventions; >50% of the interventions were to answer questions about clinical management or waiting time. In the intervention group, 173 acts of violence were committed during 129 ED visits, and there were 145 acts of violence committed during 106 ED visits in the control group. The rate of ED visits in which at least one act of violence was committed, was 0.26% in the intervention group and 0.21% in the control group (OR = 1.23; 95% CI [0.73-2.09]); on a 4-level seriousness scale, 41.6% of the acts of violence were rated level-1 (acts of incivility or rudeness) in the intervention group and 40.0% in the control group.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The presence of mediators in the ED was not associated with a reduction in violent or uncivil behaviours committed by patients or their relatives. However, the study highlighted that patients had a major need for information regarding their care; improving communication between patients and healthcare professionals might reduce the violence in EDs.</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03139110).</p>","PeriodicalId":11893,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Emergency Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"201-207"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11042523/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"European Journal of Emergency Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/MEJ.0000000000001121","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/2/7 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EMERGENCY MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background and importance: Several studies reported that violent behaviours were committed by patients against healthcare professionals in emergency departments (EDs). The presence of mediators could prevent or resolve situations of tension.
Objective: To evaluate whether the presence of mediators in EDs would have an impact on violent behaviours committed by patients or their relatives against healthcare professionals. Design, settings and participants A 6-period cluster randomised crossover trial was performed in 4 EDs during 12 months. Patients aged ≥18 and their relatives were included.
Intervention: In order to prevent or resolve situations of tension and conflict, four mediators were recruited.Outcome measure and analysis Using a logistic regression mixed model, the rate of ED visits in which at least one act of violence was committed by a patient or their relatives, reported by healthcare professionals, was compared between the intervention group and the control group.
Results: A total of 50 429 ED visits were performed in the mediator intervention group and 50 851 in the control group. The mediators reported 1365 interventions; >50% of the interventions were to answer questions about clinical management or waiting time. In the intervention group, 173 acts of violence were committed during 129 ED visits, and there were 145 acts of violence committed during 106 ED visits in the control group. The rate of ED visits in which at least one act of violence was committed, was 0.26% in the intervention group and 0.21% in the control group (OR = 1.23; 95% CI [0.73-2.09]); on a 4-level seriousness scale, 41.6% of the acts of violence were rated level-1 (acts of incivility or rudeness) in the intervention group and 40.0% in the control group.
Conclusion: The presence of mediators in the ED was not associated with a reduction in violent or uncivil behaviours committed by patients or their relatives. However, the study highlighted that patients had a major need for information regarding their care; improving communication between patients and healthcare professionals might reduce the violence in EDs.
期刊介绍：
The European Journal of Emergency Medicine is the official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine. It is devoted to serving the European emergency medicine community and to promoting European standards of training, diagnosis and care in this rapidly growing field.
Published bimonthly, the Journal offers original papers on all aspects of acute injury and sudden illness, including: emergency medicine, anaesthesiology, cardiology, disaster medicine, intensive care, internal medicine, orthopaedics, paediatrics, toxicology and trauma care. It addresses issues on the organization of emergency services in hospitals and in the community and examines postgraduate training from European and global perspectives. The Journal also publishes papers focusing on the different models of emergency healthcare delivery in Europe and beyond. With a multidisciplinary approach, the European Journal of Emergency Medicine publishes scientific research, topical reviews, news of meetings and events of interest to the emergency medicine community.
Submitted articles undergo a preliminary review by the editor. Some articles may be returned to authors without further consideration. Those being considered for publication will undergo further assessment and peer-review by the editors and those invited to do so from a reviewer pool.
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