Over the years it has been acknowledged that there is a strong link between mental ill-health and incidents of aggression (World Health Organisation, 2010) which have unfortunately continue to increase in prevalence. Currently there are many different approaches that may be implemented to assist with this issue of aggression which, as acknowledged by Irwin (2006) is a major concern within mental health treatment settings. This paper intends to critically review and evaluate a range of the current approaches in the prediction, prevention and management of consumer aggression including the current zero tolerance policy used in NSW Health, de-escalation, chemical restraint and seclusion protocols and to discuss their significance in current mental health nursing practice.
The zero tolerance approach to aggression was established in 2005 with the objective of reducing incidents of violence in the workplace and ensuring that …show more content…
The impacts of an incident of aggression to both staff the consumer and to other patients within the facility includes not only the physical injuries that may result from an act of aggression but also the emotional trauma, stress and anxiety that may be the cause of ongoing mental health issues for all concerned (Irwin, 2006). This paper has critically discussed the topic of aggression, it prediction, prevention and management in the mental health care setting and its relevance to contemporary nursing practice and found that although there may be limited evidence for some of the more traditional techniques of seclusion and chemical restraint of the consumer, evidence based practices are now being incorporated into regular systems of risk assessment and de-escalation approaches of aggression minimisation and management to the benefit of staff and the
The zero tolerance approach to aggression was established in 2005 with the objective of reducing incidents of violence in the workplace and ensuring that …show more content…
The impacts of an incident of aggression to both staff the consumer and to other patients within the facility includes not only the physical injuries that may result from an act of aggression but also the emotional trauma, stress and anxiety that may be the cause of ongoing mental health issues for all concerned (Irwin, 2006). This paper has critically discussed the topic of aggression, it prediction, prevention and management in the mental health care setting and its relevance to contemporary nursing practice and found that although there may be limited evidence for some of the more traditional techniques of seclusion and chemical restraint of the consumer, evidence based practices are now being incorporated into regular systems of risk assessment and de-escalation approaches of aggression minimisation and management to the benefit of staff and the