Screening for Violence
The July 2007 issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing outlines a protocol for identifying potentially violent patients on admission to hospital emergency rooms. A mixed method case study design involving semi-structured interviews, participant observation and field interview in patients admitted to a hospital emergency room in Australia identifed five distinctive elements of observable behaviour. The five elements have been combined into a potential nursing violence assessment model known as STAMP.
- Staring and Eye contact
- Tone and volume of voice
- Anxiety
- Mumbling
- Pacing
The STAMP protocol has been recommended as an easily-remembered checklist to assist nurses in quickly identifying patients, family members or friends who have a potential for violence. By identifying potential flashpoints, health care professionals are able to defuse potentially violent situations before they can escalate further. The researchers suggest that STAMP could have value in a variety of settings where potential violence is a possibility including forensic and social service agencies.
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