The Development and Acceptability of a Comprehensive Crisis Prevention Program for Implementation in Health Care Settings

Abstract

Introduction

Behavioral crises are increasingly prevalent in health care settings. Existing programs, however, include procedures that lack adaptability, omit critical components, and deviate from clinical best-practice recommendations. Health care employees also continue to report lacking confidence for safely managing behavioral crises.

Aims

We described the development and acceptability of a comprehensive crisis prevention program and its modification for a large pediatric health care system to help remediate the limitations of existing programs.

Method

Chi-square analyses evaluated the acceptability of the crisis prevention program pre- versus post-training and at 3- and 6-month follow-up times. For insignificant outcomes, logistical regressions identify whether responses differed between emergency-department and nonemergency-department employees.

Results

Chi-square analyses were significant for 10 of 15 questions suggesting that employees were more confident in managing and communicating during behavioral crises post-training, and that this confidence was maintained. Logistic regressions found that emergency-department employees differed in some responses to the acceptability questionnaire than nonemergency-department employees over time

Conclusion

The present crisis prevention program is adaptable to various settings and patients, and it is well received overall by employees. The safety of patients and employees is integral to the delivery of quality care and improving patient-provider relations.