ABSTRACT
Responding to violence and aggression The issue of responding to and managing violence and aggression is one of the major challenges facing modern health services. 1-3 There would appear to be no simple answer to the problem. During the course of the last l 0-1 5 years there has been a variety of strategies and recommendations put forward for the healthcare industry by governmental agencies and violence experts, which have met with differing degrees of success. Research into the effectiveness of such actions is lacking, and there is confusion as to what constitutes best practice.4 Some of the strategies used in managing violence and aggression would seem to contradict each other, and may in themselves prompt aggression if not used properly.
