Metro South Health clinicians have secured funding to drive new research to tackle occupational violence and improve staff safety.
Two projects, led by PA Hospital Emergency Department staff, will focus on improving de-escalation skills and developing best practice standards for managing patients who are at risk of violence.
Funding was awarded by the Emergency Medicine Foundation and studies will commence early in 2026.
Dr CJ Cabilan, Director Occupational Violence Prevention and Management, said the research was driven by the realities faced by clinicians working on the frontline.
"Our ED staff are all too familiar with occupational violence, and it’s important that we support them to reduce the risk of violence as much as possible," CJ said.
"These projects align closely with our new Occupational Violence Readiness Action Plan – particular the pillars of Prevent, Respond and Research.
"They also reflect a shift in beliefs and mindset about occupational violence – rather than, 'it’s part-of-the-job', we are replacing this with, 'it can happen, so let’s be prepared.'"
The first project, led by Deputy Director of Emergency Medicine, Associate Professor Andrew Staib, will examine whether immersive virtual reality can improve emergency department staff confidence and skills to de-escalate situations before they turn aggressive or violent.
"The motivation to pursue this research was based on staff feedback that they need to practise de-escalation in a safe environment," CJ said.
"Often, when staff receive their training, they’re hesitant to apply what they learned straight away because the person in front of them might be too agitated and they’re anxious that they might worsen it.
"Virtual reality can take away those concerns because it replicates real-world, high-risk scenarios without endangering staff."
The second project, led by Clinical Nurse Ms Katherine Ganzon, is a survey designed to inform best practice standards in predicting and managing occupational violence risk in emergency departments.
CJ said it aims to address uncertainty about how staff should respond when a patient is identified as having a higher risk of violence.
"We have introduced a violence risk assessment tool in ED, but staff are unsure what to do with the information," CJ said.
"This survey will define consistent processes and interventions to improve care for patients identified with potential violence risk."
Together, the projects help to strengthen the safety of the emergency department workforce and the care they provide for the Metro South community.