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Implementation of a BERT in the Emergency Department

O'Leary, Catherine
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Genre
Thesis/Dissertation
Date
2026
Advisor
Bieda, Amy
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Group
Department
Nursing
Subject
Agitation
 Emergency
 Nurse
 Prevention
 Assault
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https://scholarshare.temple.edu/handle/20.500.12613/11572
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OLeary-ClinicalPracticeProject-2026.pdf
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OLeary-Poster-2026.pdf
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.34944/q28w-s486
Abstract
Background: There is an epidemic of violence against healthcare workers, and emergency room nurses are disproportionately affected. There is a call for a structured, systematic response to WPV. A Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) uses a team management approach, which capitalizes on the strengths of an interdisciplinary team and offloads the onus from an individual staff member to a team of clinicians caring for the patient together. Purpose: To develop, implement, and evaluate a BERT to decrease the occurrences of assaults and improve safety for emergency room nurses. Methods: Using quality improvement methodology to implement a BERT as a structured response for additional support and early intervention in managing agitated patient situations. Results: T-test analysis of pre- and post-implementation surveys showed BERT had a statistically significant effect (p <0.05) on nurses' confidence in managing agitated patient situations. There was not a statistically significant decrease in the incidence rate of assaults, but any decrease in assaults on staff is considered clinically significant. Conclusions: Implementation of a BERT has the potential to strengthen support for healthcare teams and the patients they serve, thereby improving the quality of care. Direct service providers have the insight and clinical skill to navigate these challenging situations, although the rates and consequences of WPV require the support of a WPV-focused unit council, a structural response from hospital administration, as well as state and federal legislators
Description
Accompanied by a poster presented at the Annual Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Project Poster Session, which took place April 15, 2026, in Philadelphia, PA.
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