Research and resources

Govern­ment agencies and organi­za­tions at the state and federal levels have researched and devel­oped best practices for addressing violence in the workplace. We’ve gathered the most useful resources to help you under­stand the issue, advocate for safer workplaces and protect yourselves.

The Joint Commission: Huddle for Safety

This article discusses the use of an aggressive/​violent patient huddle to increase safety while trans­fer­ring patients from one unit to another. Staff percep­tion of safety is measured before and after the huddle implementation.

Larson, L. A., Finley, J. L., Gross, T. L., McKay, A. K., Moenck, J. M., Severson, M. A. & Clements, C. M.

(2019). Using a poten­tially aggressive/​violent patient huddle to improve health care safety.

The Joint Commis­sion Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 45, 74 – 80.

American Nurses Association: Workplace Violence

This resource describes data associ­ated with workplace violence and explains the four basic workplace violence types as classi­fied by the National Insti­tute for Occupa­tional Safety and Health (NIOSH). Also included is an overview of state laws/​legislation and the Joint Commis­sion Standard that requires leaders to uphold a culture of quality and safety.

American Nurses Associ­a­tion. (2019). Workplace violence. Retrieved from https://​www​.nursing​world​.org/​p​r​a​c​t​i​c​e​-​p​o​l​i​c​y​/​a​d​v​o​c​a​c​y​/​s​t​a​t​e​/​w​o​r​k​p​l​a​c​e​-​violence2/

American Nurses Association: Position Statement (PDF)

American Nurses Association. (2025, March 13). Workplace Violence: ANA position statement. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/globalassets/practiceandpolicy/nursing-excellence/incivility-bullying-and-workplace-violence--ana-position-statement.pdf

Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI): Top 10 De-escalation Tips

De-escala­tion is an effec­tive tool to decrease the likeli­hood of disrup­tive, violent behavior. This article highlights ten tips for de-escalation.

CPI. (2022, June 27). CPI’s top 10 de-escalation tips revisited. Retrieved from https://www.crisisprevention.com/blog/general/cpi-s-top-10-de-escalation-tips-revisited/

Washington State Nurses Association: Violence in the Workplace (PDF)

This position paper serves as a founda­tion for action, joining Washington State Nurses Associ­a­tion with these promi­nent agencies in seeking solutions to workplace violence in health care settings.

Black, P.W. & Bruck, A. M. (2019). Position paper: Violence in the workplace. Retrieved from https://​cdn​.wsna​.org/​a​s​s​e​t​s​/​e​n​t​r​y​-​a​s​s​e​t​s​/​3​2​1​5​/​W​o​r​k​p​l​a​c​e​-​V​i​o​lence-2019 – 1.pdf