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MONOGRAPH

Emergency Department Management of Violent Patients

A violent patient is someone under medical care who is a threat of danger to themselves, other patients, or hospital staff. Like many of the problems we face in the emergency department, the management of a violent (or potentially violent) patient is not always straightforward. Each encounter will be influenced by the patient’s background, underlying health conditions, comorbid issues, psychiatric history, socioeconomic factors, and much more.