Critical Incident Stress Debriefing: A Health Promotion Model for Workplace Violence

PURPOSE: To view the global impact of violence as a critical incident. DATA SOURCES: Published literature, author's experience. CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric nurses can use the critical incident stress debriefing protocol to minimize adverse outcomes after a traumatic event. Workplace violence threatens the safety and well-being of nurses. Psychiatric nurses are more likely to encounter workplace violence than nurses in other settings and must prepare themselves using proactive health-promoting activities, for example the critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) model. This health-promotion model provides immediate emotional support and education about normal stress reactions, and may reduce the risk of chronic and disabling emotional and physical consequences.