Managing violence in primary care: an evidence-based approach.

An understanding of the risk factors for violence can help primary care staff to evaluate and manage risk in the primary care setting. They will be able to acknowledge that risk factors are not static but can vary according to time, place, situation, and support networks. General practitioners (GPs) should not ignore their clinical acumen, but should use their knowledge of the patient to form part of a risk assessment. Managing violence in primary care should focus on the individual; for example, in the training of primary care staff. It should also involve an examination of the wider structure of primary care; for example, the safe design of buildings, avoiding long waiting times, and having 'no intoxication' policies for practices. There is a pressing need for primary care-based research in this area. We acknowledge that in our understanding of this topic there are two extremes that should be avoided. The first is that our perceived risk of violence often exceeds the real, absolute risk. Where our perceptions are overstated, patients run the risk of being excluded from primary care or of being inappropriately detained on psychiatric wards under the Mental Health Act. At the other extreme, where risk is understated, staff can play the 'hero' or the 'martyr' in an attempt to defuse a situation without support from other colleagues. Like many other situations in primary care, working in isolation carries real and important risks. Threats of violence are best managed in primary care by having a collaborative practice approach underpinned by a support ethos from primary care organisations.