The Violent Incident Form (VIF): a practical instrument for the registration of violent incidents in the health care workplace

The Violent Incident Form (VIF) is a practical instrument that has been developed for the registration of all types of threatening and violent behaviour directed toward staff in health care work environments. The instrument uses a broad definition of violence that encompasses verbal aggression and threats. A 1-page checklist, the VIF, summarizes key aspects of the violent incident, identifying the circumstances, perpetrator, event, and consequences. Results from a 15-week pilot study as well as a follow-up study of the instrument's test-retest reliability are presented. The VIF was then introduced at 47 health care workplaces and used for a period of 12 months. During this period, 684 incidents were recorded by 32 workplaces. Of these, only 147 incidents (21%) were also filed as official work injury reports. The checklist is based on the principle that all kinds of violent events must be included if an accurate assessment of violence at the workplace is to be made. The VIF is not intended as a replacement for official work injury reports, but as a complement, focusing more specifically on the nature of the violent incident. It is presented here as a research tool for studying violence in today's health care environments. Further work is needed to assess the use of the VIF as a learning tool, and as a possible catalyst for the development of effective violence management programmes.