Measuring Emergency Department Staff Perceptions of Causes and Management of Violence.

Background: Half of all reported violent incidents in health care settings occur in the emergency department (ED) placing all staff members at risk. However, research typically does not include all ED work groups or validated measures beyond nurses and physicians.

Objective: The aims of this study were to (a) validate an established instrument measuring perceptions of causes of violence and attitudes toward managing violence within an inclusive workforce sample; and (b) explore variation in perceptions, attitudes, and incidence of violence and safety to inform a violence prevention program.