Characteristics of Assaultive Patients Whom Inpatient Psychiatric Staff Report to Law Enforcement.

Objective: The authors sought to identify factors that affect hospital staff's decision to pursue criminal charges against patients who assault staff on inpatient psychiatric units.

Methods: Data on assaults occurring on inpatient psychiatric units in one hospital system were collected over 32 months, from November 1, 2016, to July 1, 2019. The events were grouped by whether staff pursued criminal charges after the incident.