Managing Difficult or Challenging Behaviours

This module describes difficult and challenging behaviours commonly exhibited by clients and their families or friends in health care settings, how best to respond to these behaviours and the most effective ways to manage incidents. It provides step-by-step guidance to defusing tension and preventing the escalation of an incident, with examples of practical interventions that could be applied in a variety of circumstances.

This module is limited to the conduct of clients and visitors and the scope of this module does not extend to difficult or challenging behaviours of colleagues.

This module is directed at anyone working in health care who may encounter difficult or challenging behaviours.

At the end of this module participants will be able to:

• Identify different types of challenging behaviours.
• Recognise the early signs of challenging behaviours.
• Be aware of short-term methods of responding to challenging behaviours.
• Be aware of long-term strategies for preventing challenging behaviours.