Reducing Workplace Violence with the Use of a Behavioral Emergency Response Team

Abstract

The objective of this project was to create a Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) to ultimately reduce the number of workplace violence (WPV) events and associated teammate injuries by training individuals that can verbally de-escalate potentially violent situations from occurring identified clinical triggers. Workplace violence has continued to increase over the years, especially post-pandemic. It puts hospital staff at an increased safety risk and has caused burnout among healthcare workers. This evidence-based project was conducted reviewing all BERT responses and WPV events during January-April 2024 compared to pre-BERT data for the same four months in 2023. Four nursing departments in a small, rural, community hospital served as pilot units for BERT. Those units were the Emergency Department (ED), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and two Medical Surgical Units (MSU). During the pilot phase, there were 33 BERT responses and 39 WPV events. Injuries towards teammates during the pilot phase were 19. While it was predicted the number of WPV events and injuries would decrease with the initiation of a BERT, the data did not reveal that at the project site. In fact, WPV events and injuries went up from 2023 data. While the results from the project did not show a decrease in the number of WPV events or number of injuries associated with WPV, it could be due to an increased awareness of reporting violent behaviors. Also, there was a particularly violent patient during the pilot phase that accounted for 15 WPV events and 11 teammate injuries.