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To map the evidence on post-incident strategies for workplace violence in global hospital settings, define current literature gaps and provide direction for future research.
Scoping review guided by Joanna Briggs Institute methodology.
A narrative synthesis, framed by the Haddon Matrix, categorised post-violence strategies by focus on staff (victims), aggressors (vectors), or the physical/social environment.
Six databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Health Management Information Consortium) and Google Scholar were searched in January 2024.
Twenty-seven articles were included. Post-violence strategies addressed: (1) staff support through debriefs and psychological, clinical and procedural assistance; (2) behaviour management, individualised plans, alerts and accountability measures for aggressors; and (3) system-level responses via incident investigations, feedback processes and integrated monitoring. These strategies were typically embedded within larger multicomponent workplace violence programmes, with limited disaggregation of their specific effects.
The evidence base for tertiary prevention of workplace violence remains sparse. Most articles in this review equated success with violence reduction, reflecting a traditional (Safety-I) focus on risk mitigation, with limited attention to broader outcomes such as staff perceptions of safety or job-related affect. This underscores the need for a clearer focus on the mechanisms by which such interventions are expected to create change, providing an opportunity to refine theory and practice.
The post-violence period offers a key juncture for mitigating incidents' ripple effects. As frontline staff are often the primary ‘recipients’ of interventions, future research and service improvement initiatives should focus more closely on outcomes relevant to staff experiences.
Incorporating a Safety-II perspective, which emphasises resilience and adaptive performance, could enable hospitals to strengthen ongoing operational capabilities in the aftermath of violence and help to redress the conditions that facilitate its recurrence.
PRISMA-ScR.
None.
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