Does the HCR-20 risk assessment predict ward based violence?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The relationship between HCR-20 scores and scores on the MOAS (Modified Overt Aggression Scale): Does the HCR-20 accurately predict ward based violence?
IRAS ID
149688
Contact name
Jennifer Atkinson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 28 days
Research summary
The research will assess the relationship between the HCR-20 violence risk assessment, and the MOAS (Modified Overt Aggression Scale), exploring whether the HCR-20 is a good predictor of ward based violence for clients with a learning disability. The HCR-20 is used to inform staff of risk within the inpatient environment, and is also used when considering discharge into a community setting. The assessment integrates Historical (static), Clinical (dynamic) and Risk Management (speculative) factors. It is argued that structured risk assessment will encourage a reduction in ward based violence and risk. Through investigation into the HCR-20 and whether it can assist in predicting ward based violence, it may establish whether it is an effective risk assessment tool, and in turn work towards promoting safety of the patients, staff and public.
The MOAS was implemented as part of the Leading in Patient Safety (LIPS) initiative in order to record the frequency and intensity of aggression on the inpatient wards. A standarised approach was adopted to record incidents of aggression presented by each patient on a daily basis. The MOAS measures verbal aggression (VA), physical aggression towards objects (PO), physical aggression towards people (PP), physical aggression towards self (PS) and total aggression (TA).
The sites involved will be Roseberry Park and Lanchester Road Hospital across male and female low secure inpatient wards. The clients reside on a number of different wards including; High Dependency, Assessment, Treatment and Inpatient Rehabilitation wards. The inclusion criteria will be for clients who have resided on the ward for at least 3 months from September 2010, when the MOAS and HCR-20 schemes were initiated. Clients will not be directly involved in the study, the study analysis will include non person identifiable data. The data has been collected from September 2010- November 2013. Quantitative research methods will be utilised.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0044
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion