Valerie Isaak
University of Haifa, Israel
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Med Surg Pathol
Background: This study explores the effectiveness of refresher training sessions of an intervention program at reducing the employees’ risk of injury due to patient violence in forensic psychiatric hospital.
Methods: The original safety intervention program that consisted of a 3 days’ workshop was conducted in the maximum security ward of a psychiatric hospital in Israel. Ever since the original intervention, annual refreshers were conducted highlighting one of the safety elements covered in the original intervention. The study examines the effect of the intervention program along with the refreshers over a period of 10 years in four wards.
Results: Analysis of the data demonstrates that beyond the initial reduction following the original intervention, refreshers seem to have an additional positive long-term effect, reducing both the number of violent incidents and the number of actual employee injuries in forensic psychiatric hospital.
Conclusions: We conclude that such an intervention program followed by refresher training would promote employees’ wellbeing. A healthy work environment is part of management’s commitment to improve employee wellbeing at the workplace.
Recent Publications
1. Isaak V, Vashdi D, Kostisky H, Bar-Noy D, Hirschmann S and Grinshpoon A (2017) Enhancing staff safety climatereducing violence in closed hospital wards? Journal of Workplace Health & Safety 65(9):409-416.
2. Isaak V, Steiner-Lavi O, Kostisky H, Bar-Noy D and Makori S (2017) Nursing succession planning-mental health center case study. Ageing Science & Mental Health Studies 1(2):1-3.
3. Isaak V and Steiner-Lavi (2018) Accreditation in hospitals: should we implement the same standards in different types of hospitals? the case of mental health hospital. Science & Mental Health Studies 2(3):1-3.
4. Isaak V, Vashdi D and Steiner -Lavi (2018) The long-term effects of a prevention program on the number of critical incidents and sick leave days. International Journal of Mental Health Systems 12(1):71
Valerie Isaak has obtained her PhD in Public Administration. Her expertise is in health organizations. During the last 10 years she conducted several researches in the largest psychiatric hospital in Israel. Her research focuses on improving the workplace for the employees and as an outcome to promote high quality service to the patients. Her last research received a support from the Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research. This study is unique and groundbreaking: it examines the process of Accreditation assimilation (quality standard for general hospitals) before, during and after the procedure in the world's first psychiatric hospital.
E-mail: visaak@poli.haifea.ac.il
