Empirical ethics study reveals six key values guiding ethical responses to violence in emergency department staff, highlighting alternatives to strict zero-tolerance policies.
Key Points
To develop a nuanced ethical framework of values for addressing occupational violence and aggression from patients and visitors in emergency department settings.
Conducted a symbiotic empirical ethics study using qualitative interviews with emergency department staff (N=25) at a single Australian hospital.
Identified six central ethical values needed to navigate emergency department aggression: staff safety, aggressive patient healthcare needs, patient decision-making capacity, community safety, fair resource allocation, and compassion.
Demonstrated that while staff safety remains a primary obligation, rigid zero-tolerance approaches fail to accommodate patients lacking decision-making capacity who require critical medical or psychiatric care.