Precipitants to psychiatric patient assaults: review of findings, 2004-2006, with implications for EMS and other health care providers.

Violent psychiatric patients present a safety risk for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel and other health care providers. Although there have been numerous studies of the demographic and clinical characteristics of assaultive patients, these studies have yielded limited information in predicting violence. Recent research has begun to examine possible specific precipitants to patient assaults. This paper reviews the published studies from 2004 to 2006. Psychosis, organic impairment, staff interactions, and limit setting were cited as frequently occurring precipitants. The implications of these findings and specific strategies to reduce these precipitant risks for EMS and other health care providers are presented.