The Violence Prevention Community Meeting: A Multi-Site Study

Objective: The Violence Prevention Community Meeting (VPCM) is a specialized form of community meeting in which avoiding violence and promoting non-violent problem solving and interpersonal civility are focal points. A nationwide study to assess the VPCM as an effective intervention to reduce workplace violence was undertaken. Participants: Seven acute locked psychiatric units of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) throughout the United States participated in the study. Methods: All patients and all staff on the seven in-patient locked psychiatry units participated in the intervention (VPCM) or as a control (treatment as usual). The study was 21 weeks at each site. The three time periods were pre-treatment weeks 1-3, treatment weeks 4-18, and post-treatment weeks 19-21. The VPCM was conducted during the treatment weeks. Results: Overall rates of aggression declined by 0.6% (95% CI: -5.6%, 6.5%; nonsignificant) per week in the intervention hospitals and by 5.1% (95% CI: 0.4%, 9.6%; significant) per week for the control hospitals. Conclusions: Aggression decreased for both the intervention and control hospitals which could be due to enrollment in a research study and thus being more aware of their ability to address workplace violence at their site. Published by Elsevier Inc.