In the emergency department of a hospital, doctors and nurses aren't only responsible for the care of their patients. In some situations, they also need to subdue violent patients and attempt to protect the patient from himself or herself, while also protecting other patients and staff as the hospital security staff rush to the scene. The emergency room can be volatile for many reasons; patients may be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, may be suffering from mental health issues, or may have other problems that compel them to act violently. Although each hospital has its own policies regarding dealing with violent patients, here are some steps that you can take.
Call For Help
It may seem sensible to call for help after you've gotten the situation under control, but it's ideal — whenever possible — to summon assistance as soon as a violent situation breaks out or appears imminent. This call could be as quick as yelling to your colleagues, who can then assist you and summon the hospital security staff and law enforcement officers. When calling for help, be sure to use your hospital's appropriate color code. In many cases, "Code White" means that you're dealing with a violent patient. Upon hearing this code, your fellow staff members can respond accordingly.
Attempt To Isolate The Patient
Whenever possible, it's ideal if you can steer the violent patient into a room in which he or she will be away from other patients. In this scenario, you'll ideally be able to get the patient in the room and then quickly leave the room, locking the door behind you. This will allow your peers and the patients you're caring for to be protected while security staff and police officers arrive on the scene. Generally, it's a good idea to have a room in mind for this purpose, especially if your emergency department frequently has violent patients. You'll want this room to be devoid of implements that the violent patient could potentially use to hurt himself or herself.
Prepare Sedation Methods
When a patient is out of control and threatening those in your hospital's emergency department, the chief physician on the scene may advise sedating him or her. While security officers will have usually arrived by this time, sedation may be necessary if you're unable to isolate the patient. In such a scenario, having multiple staff members detain the patient while another injects him or her with a sedative should get the scene calmed down.
To learn more, contact a company that specializes in hospital security like Protection Plus.