Michigan’s four state psychiatric hospitals reduced patient injuries by 58% since the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services implemented the Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression in March 2024.
DASA is a daily risk assessment tool that measures the likelihood of aggression among behavioral health inpatients within the next 24 hours. Staff evaluate seven kinds of behaviors and assign a low-, moderate- or high-risk rating, according to a June 2 health department news release.
The assessment is paired with an Aggression Prevention Protocol that guides individualized intervention strategies aimed at preventing aggressive behavior. Interventions can include reassurance and distraction techniques, one-to-one nursing, medication, increased observation, and setting limits and boundaries.
The health department also reported a 28% decrease in serious patient-related staff injuries after adopting the tool. The department’s four inpatient psychiatric hospitals serve about 600 patients, according to the release.
The rollout began at Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital. Caro Psychiatric Hospital and Westland-based Walter Reuther Psychiatric Hospital implemented DASA for adult patients in July 2024, followed by Walter Reuther Psychiatric Hospital for youth patients in August and the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in September.
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