This second edition, reflecting developments since the 1994 first edition, provides a summary of our understanding of violence in the context of healthcare, covering hospital and community settings, management, design, legal and social issues. It has new chapters on the care of victims, domestic violence and limiting violence through good design.

Every branch of healthcare has its own particular experience of violence, from direct physical or verbal aggression aimed at members of staff, to dealing with the victims of a crime perpetrated elsewhere. Since the first edition of this book was published in 1994, there have been huge developments in understanding and managing violence in the healthcare setting. Violence prevention is now not just the concern of the frontline healthcare team, but also of architects, service managers, psychologists, governments, health and safety managers, human resources managers, and members of the emergency services. This fully revised and updated new edition will equip all members of these teams with the information required to understand the range of factors involved, and enable them not just to develop strategies to tackle the issues but also to deal with violence when it arises in both hospital and community settings. Coverage includes the causes and nature of violence, including domestic violence, the effects on, and care of, the victims, as well as describing opportunities to limit the potential for violence through good design. This book is essential reading for all those working in, or in association with, health services and related agencies. It is also an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand, prevent or survive violence. From reviews of the 1st edition: ''this short and affordable guide to the recognition, avoidance and aftermath of violence will prepare you for the event'' John Bignall, The Lancet 1994. 344:180 ''Many health care staff will look for a practical guide to coping and will find this book an excellent place to start ... Those spurred into action could usefully rely on this book to aid the process of effective management and staff support'' Arden Tomison, Fromeside Clinic, Bristol, British Journal of Psychiatry , August 1995 ''There are no obvious gaps in an eminently readable and well-unified text.'' Patrick Hoyte, MDU Nurse, February 1995 ''... the book effectively addresses a pressing problem for health care workers: how to cope with aggressive behavior'' Ellen H Taliaferro, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Annals of Emergency Medicine, October 1995 ''It would be important reading for those undertaking further study of the prevention and management of violence and aggression ...'' John Rawlinson, Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing, Professional Nurse, July 1996