Agressie in de zorg vraagt brede aanpak

Aggression is a common phenomenon in many sectors of healthcare, not only in psychiatry wards. We agree with a review by Weltens et al. (PLoS One. 2021;16:e0258346) that more attention should be paid to staff-related factors and organizational factors. When it comes to reducing aggression towards healthcare staff, there is much to be gained in training of staff members in skills dealing with and de-escalating (verbal and physical) aggressive behaviour. In addition, healthcare organizations can contribute to the safety of its employees. A broader safety plan focused on patient factors, staff factors and organizational factors is more likely to be effective than a plan focused only on patient factors. This is supported by a recent review of interventions for de-escalating aggressive behaviour.

Conflict of interest and financial support: none declared.