Can Behavioral Response Teams Reduce Staff Injuries?
Research By: Jeff Simmons, MD, MSc | Angela Statile, MD, MEd
Post Date: November 1, 2023 | Publish Date: Nov. 1, 2023
Hospital Medicine | Top Scientific Achievement
When patients with behavioral needs are admitted to acute care medical beds, aggressive behaviors can pose threats to the physical and psychological safety of nurses and other health professionals.
A study at Cincinnati Children’s, led by corresponding author Angela Statile, MD, MEd, and senior author Jeffrey Simmons, MD, MSc, reports mixed results from implementing an acute care behavior response team (BRT) to reduce staff injuries. Using quality improvement methods, the team partnered with behavioral specialists to design a plan for quickly responding to signs of escalating behaviors. Key interventions included responder role assignment, process development including scripts, and easy access to support tools, including unit backpacks with restraints and protective equipment.
“Our aim was to increase the days between employee injury due to aggressive patient interactions on the inpatient medical units from 99 to 150 over one year. While we did not reach that goal, we found the new process was quickly adopted by our teams and led to increased awareness and teamwork,” Statile says.
In the year after BRT implementation, the health system recorded 167 BRT events (an average of 13 per month), with a maximum of 134 days between employee injuries.
“The new process was highly used by bedside staff with survey results indicating an improved perception of resource support and confidence in providing care,” Simmons says. “However, the BRT system alone is not adequate to ensure employee safety, and additional work in this area is critical.”
Future steps include expanding de-escalation training, reinforcing best practices on every shift and continuing to standardize the risk identification process.
This study also included 14 co-authors from the Department of Patient Services, the James M. Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Hospital Medicine.
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| Original title: | Implementation of a Children's Hospital Acute Care Behavior Response Team |
| Published in: | Pediatrics |
| Publish date: | Nov. 1, 2023 |
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The Research Horizons blog features news and insights about the latest discoveries and innovations developed by the scientists of Cincinnati Children's. This blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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