IMPLEMENTATION OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION EDUCATION IN CLINICAL SETTINGS

Clinical settings provide excellent opportunities for educating adolescent patients about violence prevention. This paper reports on the experience of the Violence Prevention Project of Boston in implementing comprehensive violence prevention activities in different clinical settings. The project's evaluation revealed that staff training, specialized educational materials and staff commitment are required for both initial and sustained implementation of the education. Waiting room brochures and videos are inadequate to address the problem. Conversely, clinical settings can host a variety of educational experiences that generate significant response from patients, families and friends. Clinical settings can also be integrated into broader community-based efforts.