Improving staff safety through an aggression management program.

This article provides information regarding the relationship of a formal inpatient Aggression Management Program and subsequent aggression-related staff injuries at one university medical center. Data related to staff injuries, collected before and after the program, were compared as a means of measuring the program's effectiveness. Although the frequency of injury changed only slightly, the results indicate that there was a decrease in the severity of aggression-related staff injuries after institution of the formal program, as well as a reduction in time missed from work and cost to the system. Improvements of other aspects of care such as resource management and staff satisfaction as outcomes of this program are also discussed.