Table 2 Categorisation of staff descriptions of what happened during the 283 incidents
Subcategory (number of descriptions) | Category | Main area |
|---|---|---|
Aggression against property (45) | Material damage | Details of violent and aggressive acts and situations |
Verbal threats/provocation/aggression (89) | Violent patient acts towards staff | |
Physical violence (58) | ||
Serious assault (50) | ||
Anxious/aggressive/disruptive patient (38) | ||
Death threats, including against family (34) | ||
Threats with/possession of any object/weapon (32) | ||
Sexual harassment (4) | ||
Taking hostages (3) | ||
Threats/violence against co-patients/relatives (21) | Violent acts towards others than staff | |
Self-harm/suicide attempt (15) | ||
Staff aggression/violence (3) | ||
Active defence/intervention (70) | Ways the staff responded | Ways in which staff dealt with aggressive situations and the eventual outcome |
Alarm/call for help (56) | ||
Call for police/fire brigade (31) | ||
Passive defence/de-escalation (30) | ||
Patient discharged from the ward (1) | ||
Mechanical restraint (69) | Ways in which the incident ended | |
Delimiting/supervising (46) | ||
Calming down of patient/ebbing of situation (42) | ||
Removal from the ward (35) | ||
Enforced medication (31) | ||
Anaesthetising/rapid tranquillisation of the patient (5) | ||
Abscondment of patient (4) |