The long-term effects of a prevention program on the number of critical incidents and sick leave days

BACKGROUND: This study explores the effectiveness of refresher training sessions of an intervention program at reducing the employees’ risk of injury due to patient violence in forensic psychiatric hospital. METHODS: The original safety intervention program that consisted of a 3 days’ workshop was conducted in the maximum—security ward of a psychiatric hospital in Israel. Ever since the original intervention, annual refreshers were conducted highlighting one of the safety elements covered in the original intervention. The study examines the effect of the intervention program along with the refreshers over a period of 10 years in four wards. RESULTS: Analysis of the data demonstrates that beyond the initial reduction following the original intervention, refreshers seem to have an additional positive long-term effect, reducing both the number of violent incidents and the number of actual employee injuries in forensic psychiatric hospital. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that such an intervention program followed by refresher training would promote employees’ wellbeing. A healthy work environment is part of management’s commitment to improve employee wellbeing at the workplace.