Special report: controlling aggression in hospitals--what security officers must know to avoid physical attacks.

Threats to the safety of security officers by persons they encounter in confrontational or potentially confrontational situations are an ever-present danger. This potential for physical violence can take place in the lobby, cafeteria, halls, elevators, or the parking lot of any corporate entity, not just hospitals. In hospitals, however, this danger is compounded by psychiatric patients and other hospital patients under stress. Hospital security personnel are often called to defuse potentially violent patient situations. Further compounding this risk of violence are increases in cutbacks in hospital personnel. Therefore, programs that teach hospital staff members how to control aggression will become increasingly important. Among the organizations have made a reputation for training security professionals and others in preventing and dealing with violence are R.E.B. Security Training, Inc., Avon, CT, and Wickersty & Associates, Inc., Bladensburg, MD. R.E.B. offers a two-day course in nonverbal communication that is taken by police officers and security directors. According to Ronald W. Ouellette, president, the course has also been attended by nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, and psychologists. Wickersty & Associates has been conducting "Controlling Aggression" workshops in health care facilities for the past 12 years. According to Dr. Allan Wickersty, more and more hospitals are hiring consultants to teach staff members how to deal with aggressive behavior. But hospital violence remains an underreported problem. "One thing I have noticed is that the type of hospital experiencing violence is changing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)