Review of research methods used to investigate violence in the emergency department

Abstract

Violence in the emergency department (ED) is of constant concern to emergency practitioners. Much research has been conducted on this topic but it appears that there has been no attempt to systematically evaluate the methods that have been used to investigate this problem. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to review the research methods in order to identify the most effective approach for future use and to reveal gaps in the understanding of this problem. Most studies that have been conducted to investigate violence in the ED are descriptive in nature with the most common type retrospective or prospective surveys. Few interview-based studies have been conducted but these have provided an in-depth understanding of the perspectives and feelings of staff involved in the patient violence. However, none of the methods used have provided insight into the perspectives of patients or perpetrators of violence in the ED. To date, it appears that no observational or predictive studies pertaining to this problem have been conducted. Combining questionnaire-based and interview-based prospective surveys with observations could be an ideal method to investigate violence in the ED, as it would permit the researcher to investigate this complex problem more thoroughly and holistically.