Safe strategies for potentially violent patients, Part 1.

The first of a two-part series on workplace violence in the healthcare setting, this article focuses on what each individual healthcare worker can do to reduce the likelihood of a verbal assault escalating into a physical assault. Workplace violence is defined, and signs that may predict violent behavior are listed. Techniques to reduce the possibility that a healthcare worker will be injured in a violent situation are presented, including tips for spoken communication, body language, and disengagement. The second of the two-part series highlights administrative and operational steps that decrease the probability of experiencing workplace violence.