Preventing violence in the health care setting.

Sentinel Event Alert. June 3, 2010;(45):1-3.

The Joint Commission issues sentinel event alerts to highlight areas of high risk and to promote rapid adoption of risk reduction strategies. This newly released alert focuses on violence in the health care setting, noting increasing rates of violent crimes such as assault, rape, and homicide, which are consistently among the top 10 types of sentinel events reported. Controlling access is viewed as a key protection strategy, and the alert also outlines techniques for identifying violent individuals and for training staff in violence management. The alert summarizes a series of suggested actions that will allow organizations to safeguard against these events. Adherence to sentinel event alert recommendations is assessed as part of Joint Commission accreditation surveys.

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