Nurses are often the target of
patient assaults and aggression.8
Research must continue in order to
discover innovative and creative
methods for preventing and managing
violent patient behavior. We
used individualized nursing interventions
to safely, therapeutically,
and effectively manage escalating
behavior in patients at risk for violence
while still providing a safe
and therapeutic environment. The
limitations of this study were the
small sample size, not using psychometric
scales, limited statistical
information, and the lack of female
patients. The presence of multiple
patients at high risk for violence
created a unique environment with
dynamics that required behavior
management with diverse patientspecific
interventions.