Recording violent incidents in the emergency department
Intended for healthcare professionals
A&S Science Previous     Next

Recording violent incidents in the emergency department

Terence Ferns Senior lecturer, Department of Acute and Continuing Care, School of Health and Social Care, University of Greenwich, London

Aim To evaluate the quality of record-keeping by nursing staff after violent incidents in one emergency department in the UK.

Method This study was undertaken between August 2007 and May 2009 in the emergency department of one acute NHS hospital. A retrospective documentary analysis of violent incident forms completed by nursing staff (n = 38), semi-structured interviews (n = 9) and periods of non-participatory, unstructured general observation (52 hours) was conducted.

Findings From the documentary analysis, 25 incident forms (n = 38, 66%) were incomplete or lacking detail. Semi-structured interviews with study participants suggested that many violent incidents went unreported. It was widely accepted by the participants that the reporting process did not capture the reality of clinical practice, and the lack of a robust reporting process suggested that incident reporting was seen as a low priority.

Conclusion This study’s findings support those of previous studies examining the quality of record-keeping in clinical practice. Poor record-keeping is a common breach of the Nursing and Midwifery Council code of conduct, potentially compromising patient safety. Strategies need to be formulated to improve record-keeping. Avoiding individual blame and consideration of the working environment may encourage staff to complete incident forms.

Nursing Standard. 26, 28, 40-48. doi: 10.7748/ns2012.03.26.28.40.c8996

Peer review

This article has been subject to double blind peer review

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more