S.A.F.E. Approach

About the Program

The S.A.F.E. Approach™ is an exciting training program designed specifically for those in the healthcare field where the effective use of verbal and non-verbal communication skills can reduce the risk of negative or violent encounters with patients, visitors and co-workers.

The S.A.F.E. Approach offers nursing contact hours for Levels I, II, & III. This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the Midwest Multistate Division, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

At the heart of The S.A.F.E. Approach is the concept of recognizing potentially hazardous situations and mitigating their impact, all while treating individuals with dignity and respect – a key component. We know that compassion, empathy and a comprehensive understanding of human behavior can resolve or even prevent most conflicts. It\’s only on rare occasion that an individual must resort to some form of defensive posture or response, but it’s this key component of our training that separates The S.A.F.E. Approach from many others: our simple, effective and easy to remember methods for enhancing personal safety.

Why S.A.F.E?

There’s no question that those in the healthcare industry are experiencing an ever increasing responsibility to care for and protect their staff, patients and visitors. The Occupational Safety and Health Act mandates that, in addition to compliance with hazard-specific standards, all employers have a general duty to provide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Not only must you concern yourself with quality medical care, but you also have a duty to protect these individuals from physical harm.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 60 percent of all non-fatal injuries from occupational assaults and violent acts occur on health care and social service workers. Further, these acts occur most often in hospitals, nursing and personal care facilities, and residential care services.

Quite frankly, there are a number of considerations you face in bringing a complete workplace violence reduction program to your healthcare facility. From civil and criminal law to satisfying medical surveyors, each of these requirements has costs associated with them, both in staff training and curriculum expense. As the industry strives to minimize expenses and better manage assets, administrators are looking for programs that are cost-effective and yet provide excellent training and resources to assist in protecting all who enter their facilities.

This is why The S.A.F.E. Approach method was developed; to provide administrators, security directors and others peace of mind in knowing that their staff – at all levels – have been trained in effective methods of resolving conflict. As you familiarize yourself with our program, you will see that we have extensive experience in conflict resolution.

The word Safe in The S.A.F.E. Approach tends to speak for itself; however, to further define our program, we use the acronym S.A.F.E. as follows:

S – Safety

The S.A.F.E. Approach™ method has the safety or everyone in mind. Those who participate in our training learn techniques that will keep them safe and others as well.

A – Attitude

It’s been said that, “We can’t control others actions; we can only control our own!” While this may be true in many encounters, we believe that our own attitude plays an important role in any encounter and has a strong influence on the attitude of others.

F – Focus

In order to be effective, we must maintain focus on the techniques taught. As we all are aware, habits form when we repeat routines of behavior. Done enough, these habits become subconscious activities.

E – Empathy

Empathy has been defined as “the capacity to recognize, and to some extent, share feelings that are being experienced by another.” It is an important component of The S.A.F.E. Approach™ method.

The Curriculum:

The S.A.F.E. Approach offers nursing contact hours for Levels I, II, & III. This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the Midwest Multistate Division, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

We are fully aware of the demands placed on staff member’s time. Every moment spent in training is time away from their ever important tasks. Therefore, our goal is to effectively train your staff, do so in a timely manner, and provide you with peace of mind knowing that your co-workers have the tools necessary to make sound competent decisions.

As you’ll notice, testing is an important component at each level. In order for the organization and The S.A.F.E. Approach to validate the learning process, each participant is tested on key information contained in their training. While not extremely difficult, this testing provides important feedback to the instructor and the organization as to the quality of instruction and materials and provides important feedback to administrators. Additionally, all students in Level II and Level III training receive handouts that are theirs to keep. This ensures that participants are afforded the opportunity to refer back to the techniques they have learned as needed.

There are generally three levels of training using The S.A.F.E. Approach method:

Level I  

Level I is a 2-hour block of instruction designed for those staff members who rarely, if ever, have care responsibility of patients. These individuals usually include office staff, phone operators, maintenance workers, housekeeping, food services, etc.

Level I training includes topics such as:

• Customer Service
• Interpersonal Communication
• Safety Awareness, and
• Recognizing and Diffusing Conflict and Aggression

Level II 

Level II instruction is designed for those staff members who have responsibilities that include frequent patient contact. These individuals would include doctors, nurses, aides, technicians and others. Level II training includes Level I topics and adds two additional hours of instruction, for a total of four hours of training.

Many of the topics covered in Level II are taught in Level I. However, this level has the added component of Personal Safety Measures. We instruct the participant on how to protect themselves and potentially those around them before, during or after there has been a failure in communication.

Level II training includes topics such as:

• Customer Service
• Interpersonal Communication
• Recognizing and Diffusing Conflict and Aggression
• Personal Safety Measures
• How to avoid being trapped in a room
• Planning for escape as a matter of routine, before it’s too late
• How to quickly and effectively escape when you are hit, grabbed, knocked to the ground or in some way physically assaulted

We routinely receive positive feedback on this training. Not only do the participants often express their gratitude for the knowledge they receive, but they also appreciate their employer affording them this opportunity.

Level III  (8 hours of CEU credit provided)

Includes Level I and II with four additional hours added (8 hours, total) designed for those staff members who may or may not have frequent patient contact; however, they are often tasked with controlling and/or stabilizing disruptive or violent persons. Depending on your facility, these individuals may include both medical and non-medical staff members. This task may not only be hazardous for the patient and staff member, but it can open the organization to significant legal exposure if not performed and documented correctly. This training is especially important if your facility is confronted with situations involving trauma, mental illness, the elderly or drug and alcohol abuse.

Level III training encompasses all of the topics taught in Level II, but with the added component of restraint. One key component of this training is the team approach. Rather than rushing in with either no plan or a rather weak plan, we show participants how and why a careful, coordinated approach – utilizing proper communication and physical technique – will result in a successful restraint with minimal injury and complaint.