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Violence risk assessment: combining actuarial and clinical information to structure clinical judgements for the formulation and management of risk
Author(s) -
DOYLE M.,
DOLAN M.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.69
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1365-2850
pISSN - 1351-0126
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2850.2002.00535.x
Subject(s) - risk assessment , risk management , mental health , judgement , occupational safety and health , clinical judgement , psychology , actuarial science , service (business) , suicide prevention , poison control , risk management tools , psychiatry , applied psychology , medicine , medical emergency , business , family medicine , political science , law , computer security , finance , computer science , pathology , marketing
Throughout history most societies have assumed a link between mental disorder and violence to others. In recent times there has been increasing concern in the United Kingdom over law and order, specifically the risk of violence, and these issues are now high on the political and mental health agenda. Nurses and staff working in National Health Service Mental Health Service Trusts are the groups most at risk of violence. Many clinical decisions are based on risk. Mental health nurses play a pivotal role in the assessment and management of risk and it is argued that they need to adopt a clear structured approach to violence risk assessment and management, which is evidence‐based. The advantages of clinical and actuarial approaches to risk assessment are briefly reviewed and a structured clinical judgement approach is proposed that combines these approaches. A method of linking the assessment process with the management plan via a risk formulation is discussed.