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Violence prevention and incident documentation in elderly and special needs care institutions in southern Germany: results from semi-structured interviews

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background: The likelihood of experiencing workplace violence is particularly high in the healthcare sector. Due to the lack of uniform guidelines for documentation, the number of unreported violent incidents is likely to be much higher. The elderly and special needs care sectors are particularly affected. Even though initial legal regulations for providing violence prevention concepts are in place, there are no uniform guidelines for documenting and handling incidents of violence. Aims: Our research focuses on presenting the current situation and providing a deep understanding of existing measures in violence prevention in elderly and special needs care institutions in southern Germany. Based on expert interviews the current situation on documenting and handling violent incidents is presented. Methods: This qualitative study is based on a purposeful sampling of 18 semi-structured interviews conducted with violence protection officers and institutional managers in elderly and special needs care. The analysis was carried out using qualitative content analysis according to Kuckartz. Results: The research provides practice-based insights of existing prevention measures in elderly and special needs care in southern Germany. Insights reveal that although some violence prevention concepts exist, they are not sufficiently implemented in practice. This leads to a fragmented image, especially when it comes to documentation. Interviews revealed that there are no uniform definitions of when an incident must be documented and reported. Also, managers cannot make concise statements about the frequency and context of incidents. Finally, considerable uncertainty was discovered about the severity categorization of incidents. Conclusion: This study uncovers the current situation of documenting violent incidents in elderly and special needs care institutions and reveals highly fragmented landscape when it comes to available digital applications, definition or classification of violence, or how to handle incidents.

Source: Frontiers in Psychiatry

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1838036

Authors: Miriam Kappe, Johannes Schobel

Institution: Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences

Language: English

Topic: Workplace Violence and Bullying

Subfield: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801