Dealing with Combative Patients: A Self-Defense Course for Healthcare Workers
For more than 15 years, I’ve worked closely with nurses, physicians, aides and therapists in nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities, watching as they’ve tirelessly cared for their patients. These healthcare workers show up day after day, ready to help those in need, often putting others’ well-being ahead of their own. But amid the long hours and high-stress environment, one growing concern has quietly escalated—dealing with combative patients.
Time and time again, I’ve heard and seen dedicated healthcare workers face aggression from patients—situations that quickly spiral from verbal abuse up to physical danger. One story stands out. A therapist I know well, seasoned and compassionate, was doing everything right. He was calm, reassuring, and used every de-escalation technique at his disposal. But the patient, disoriented and agitated, unexpectedly got up from the treatment table and threatened to hit the therapist. Luckily this therapist was able to retreat out the door to safety.
In that moment, it became painfully clear: while healthcare workers are trained to care, they aren’t always equipped to protect themselves. Listening to this friend recount that story planted the seed for a new mission in my life. I knew something had to change.
The Rising Challenge: Combative Patients in Healthcare
The unfortunate truth is that incidents of violence against healthcare workers, particularly nurses, are on the rise. Healthcare workers often find themselves in situations where patients or their families can become verbally aggressive, passive aggressive, or even violent. The reasons behind patient aggression can be complex—ranging from mental health issues to substance abuse, fear, confusion, or sheer frustration. But regardless of the cause, the safety of healthcare workers remains paramount. It was this realization that led me to create a specialized course: Dealing with Combative Patients.
This course is designed to give healthcare workers the tools they need to protect themselves while maintaining their professionalism in the healthcare setting. Whether this is a nursing home, emergency room, doctors office, or outpatient clinic we must not be the subject of aggression or violence.
Understanding the Importance of Self-Defense for Healthcare Workers
As healthcare workers, we are taught to care, to heal, and to maintain compassion—even in the face of difficult patients. But when aggression crosses into violence, knowing basic self-defense can be the difference between injury and safety. My background in neuro rehabilitation has taught me how essential it is to build a strong foundation of skills through visualization, repetition, and gradual progression. This same approach applies to learning self-defense techniques.
Healthcare workers, like athletes, need to train their bodies and minds to respond instinctively in high-stress situations. And just as we adapt movement patterns in neuro rehab to accommodate physical limitations, self-defense training can be tailored to each individual’s capabilities. Whether you’re dealing with an aggressive patient or someone in a mental crisis, the ability to protect yourself should never be compromised by physical limitations or lack of preparedness.
Key Components of the Course
Rising Incidents of Violence Against Healthcare Workers: It's no secret that the healthcare environment is becoming increasingly unpredictable. As a result, it's critical to acknowledge that the safety of healthcare workers needs to be addressed proactively.
Understanding Aggression: In this course, we’ll explore the psychology behind patient aggression and the factors that contribute to a person becoming combative. By understanding the root causes, healthcare professionals can anticipate and prevent situations from escalating.
De-Escalation Techniques: De-escalation is the first line of defense when dealing with a difficult patient. This part of the course emphasizes communication skills, tone, body language, and strategies to defuse potentially dangerous situations before they spiral out of control.
Setting Boundaries: Setting boundaries is essential not just for your safety, but for the safety of the patient as well. Knowing how to assertively, but respectfully, set limits on aggressive behavior can help maintain professionalism while protecting yourself.
Physical Techniques Against a Violent Patient: When verbal techniques fail, knowing basic physical self-defense skills becomes crucial. We teach simple, effective moves that any healthcare worker can perform, regardless of size or strength. These techniques are designed to neutralize an aggressive situation without compromising patient care.
Documentation and Reporting: Post-incident documentation is just as important as managing the immediate situation. We cover how to accurately document aggressive incidents, ensuring that you meet legal requirements and safeguard yourself from potential liability.
Self-Care and Support: Facing aggression can take a toll not only on the body but on the mind as well. This course focuses on the importance of mental health and self-care after a violent encounter. We also provide resources and support systems for healthcare workers who’ve experienced aggression in the workplace.
Why I Created This Course
My decision to create the Dealing with Combative Patients course didn’t come lightly. It was born out of a realization that healthcare workers are often left vulnerable to aggression in the workplace. This course is designed not only to help healthcare workers protect themselves but to do so in a way that maintains their professionalism and compassion.
By the time you complete the course, you will have a strong foundation in readiness, verbal and physical self-defense, ensuring they are able to face any challenging situation with confidence.
Ready to Protect Yourself and Your Team?
If you’re a healthcare worker facing the daily risk of dealing with combative patients, now is the time to invest in your safety. Our Dealing with Combative Patients course covers everything from de-escalation techniques to physical self-defense strategies tailored specifically for healthcare professionals.
This course is designed for healthcare facilities of all sorts. I have taught dental offices, healthcare students and more. Healthcare workers are under increasing pressures from high patient to healthcare worker ratios, irate family/friends, and those with mental health issues and cognitive issues. Keeping the healthcare worker safe and preventing burnout is especially important post Covid-19, where we experienced a mass exodus of healthcare workers from the industry. This course is designed to help keep healthcare workers protected as well as limit the damage done to the combative patient in today's environment.
Are you interested to add this to your team's training program? Contact us or book via Calendar for individual instruction.
Contact us today for more information and get savings when you book a group class for your team. Together, let’s make the healthcare environment safer for everyone.
