Reducing aggressive behaviour and staff injuries: a multi-strategy approach.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a multi-strategy approach on the management of patient aggression and staff injury rates at a stand-alone mental health facility.

Methods: A multi-strategy aggression management program was developed and introduced over a 2-year period. The program had four components; staff education/training, a staff support program, risk assessment tools, and a computerised incident monitoring system.