An association between occupancy rates in the emergency department and rates of violence toward staff.

Background: Studies have explored possible causes of violent acts in the emergency department (ED), however, the association of violence with ED crowding has not been studied. Although the total number of violent acts would be expected to increase, it is not clear if the rate of violent acts also increases as occupancy levels rise.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if there is an association between occupancy rates in the ED and rates of violence toward staff.