Overview

Healthcare environments increasingly face challenges related to behavioral emergencies, agitation and violence. These incidents affect patients, healthcare professionals, learners, visitors and healthcare systems as a whole.

The Science of Agitation and Violence Research Laboratory led by Sarayna S. McGuire, M.D., M.S., and Casey M. Clements, M.D., Ph.D., seeks to generate rigorous scientific evidence that informs policy, clinical practice, staff training and institutional preparedness. The goals are to prevent, mitigate and respond to agitation and violence in healthcare settings. Our research spans the full continuum of healthcare violence — from understanding its epidemiology to developing and implementing systems that prevent and mitigate harm across prehospital, ambulatory and hospital settings.

Our work supports effective responses to behavioral escalation and safety threats by:

• Identifying risk factors for violence.
• Improving safety for patients and healthcare professionals.
• Evaluating systems-based interventions.
• Developing evidence-based strategies.

Our multidisciplinary team integrates expertise in behavioral health, emergency response, security, healthcare operations, implementation science and violence prevention to address one of healthcare's most urgent and complex safety issues.