Email can be a highly effective way to educate staff on de-escalating workplace confrontations with patients or visitors by distributing valuable resources and reinforcing de-escalation techniques. Actively educating workers can ensure staff are equipped with the skills to handle difficult situations professionally.
Factors that result in escalation between workers or patients
Patient factors
- Conditions like delirium, dementia, or cognitive decline can lead to confusion making it harder for patients to understand their surroundings.
- Patients with mental health issues like anxiety or paranoid delusions may feel threatened which can lead to aggression.
- Physical pain or discomfort, often from illness, can provoke anger leading to aggressive outbursts.
Staff factors
- Unclear communication and the perceived indifference from burnt-out professionals can trigger confrontations. When staff don't address a patient’s distress it may escalate.
Environmental factors
- Acute care settings like emergency rooms are often noisy which increases patient's anxiety and agitation.
- Patients may feel vulnerable or out of control which can lead to frustration which is provoked by long waits and restrictive environments.
Why train staff
The Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh study notes, “Healthcare staff are called upon to make decisions about how to respond, including whether to involve psychiatrists, security staff, or the police, or using physical restraint or medication to try to reduce the behavior or regain control. Decisions must be made based on limited information, often in a hurry. This can result in unease, indecision, and stress.”
Staff training is necessary for the operational efficiency of multiple areas of healthcare organizations. From compliance training to emergency protocols, this training is often the only security against complete systems shutdowns and failures in patient care.
In cases of workplace violence or confrontational situations, training in de-escalation techniques provides staff with the skills to manage high-tension situations calmly and safely.
Using email to educate staff on workplace confrontation
Email platforms like Paubox can help staff receive regular updates and education regarding de-escalation. Healthcare organizations can send periodic newsletters that discuss common scenarios of workplace confrontations. Ongoing communication helps keep de-escalation skills at the forefront of staff members' minds so they don’t forget or neglect to use these techniques when needed.
Employees can respond to training emails related to de-escalation with their own experiences by facilitating feedback and communication between staff and management. Employees can respond to emails with their experiences or challenges related to handling confrontational situations. The connection to real-world experiences staff allows for training materials to retain relevance to worker experiences.
FAQs
Why should HIPAA compliant email be used in a healthcare setting?
HIPAA compliant email platforms like Paubox ensure that protected health information remains secure during transmission by offering a host of features that reduce the risk of data breaches.
What causes high engagement for training emails?
High engagement is driven by clear concise content that is personalized to the staff members role.
How frequently should email communications be sent to reinforce de-escalation training?
Email communication should ideally be sent monthly to balance reinforcement with overwhelming staff.
Kirsten Peremore
