Objective: Violence in healthcare is an ongoing challenge nurses face across the continuum of care. Education on de-escalation techniques and safe disengagement techniques were shown to improve nurses' confidence and ability to de-escalate stressful situations. The purpose of this evidence- based practice project was to determine the impact of an educational session on nurses' self-efficacy in managing escalating patients. Methods: This project utilized a survey of nurses' perceptions of self-efficacy before and after an educational session. Nurses on medical-surgical and telemetry units were invited to participate in the educational session and survey. Demographic information was collected including age, role, education, experience with de-escalation training, and experience with incidences of workplace violence. Results: Thirty-five nurses were surveyed for self-efficacy before and after the educational session, and pre- and post-test values were compared, with a statistically significant improvement in self-efficacy after the intervention. Conclusions: The results of this project indicated that education and training was effective in improving self-efficacy of nursing staff. The education that was effective included recognizing worsening or escalating behavior, appropriate interventions to reduce escalation, as well as how to manage violent behavior safely and effectively through disengagement techniques. Together these provided the knowledge and skills to empower nurses to address these stressful situations and give them the tools to prevent patients from becoming violent.
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