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Subject Area
Ensuring personnel and patient safety
Focus
Effective communication skills
Simulation Title
Managing an agitated patient at a busy Accident and Emergency (A&E) department
Introduction Theoretical Background Exercises Videos Role-play Cards Facilitator's Notes Extra Resources
Learning Aim

To enable nurses to ensure both their own and their patients’ safety while effectively managing agitated patients.

Learning Objectives
  1. Use communication strategies for de-escalating an agitated patient
  2. Organise teamwork in challenging situations
  3. Demonstrate empathy in addressing patient needs
  4. Demonstrate the importance of senior mentorship in developing the confidence and skills of junior staff.
Simulation Scenario

Characters

Agitated patient: A 55-year-old man

Nurse 1: Senior nurse, skilled in de-escalation techniques

Nurse 2: Junior nurse, observing and assisting the senior nurse

(optional) Students creating busy environment: making calls, talking, asking questions, etc.

Background and setting

The A&E department is busy. All chairs in the waiting room are occupied, medical staff are moving quickly amid the constant hum from monitors, phones and conversations. Amidst this apparent chaos, a middle-aged patient with an injured leg is becoming increasingly agitated due to prolonged waiting and unmanaged pain.