Handling Aggression and Violence in Health Services: A Training Programme

Willie More, Janet Maguire PEPAR Publications, pounds sterling95, pp various ISBN 948680 42 3

Violent assault during the course of their professional duties remains a relatively low risk to health workers. However, the fear of suffering violence continues to increase and there is evidence that this fear, even if unfounded, is contributing to the demotivation and disillusionment reported among some health workers.

Educational material that is designed to consider the issues surrounding violence and enable staff to feel more in control of both their fear and the potential risks is therefore welcome. There has been a mushrooming of books and booklets on this subject in recent years, but few training opportunities exist. Handling Aggression and Violence in Health Services is a training manual (the third such publication on handling violence in the health service during 1995) that seeks to answer an important question: having raised concerns among health service staff about the risks …