Traumatic experiences can have long-lasting negative effects on individuals, organizations, and societies. If trauma is not addressed, it can create unsafe cultures with constant arousal, untrusting relationships, and the use of coercive measures. Trauma-informed care (TIC) can play a central role in mitigating these negative consequences, but it is unknown how and in which way(s) TIC should be implemented. Our objective was to conduct a scoping review that systematically explored and mapped research conducted in this area and to identify existing knowledge about the implementation of TIC. The search was conducted on the CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, ERIC, Medline, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases, and more than 3000 empirical papers, published between 2000 and 2022, were identified. Following further screening, we included 157 papers in our review, which were mainly from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, focusing on study settings, methodologies, and definitions of TIC, as well as the types of interventions and measures used. This review shows that TIC is a complex and multifaceted framework, with no overarching structure or clear theoretical underpinnings that can guide practical implementations. TIC has been defined and adapted in varied ways across different settings and populations, making it difficult to synthesize knowledge. A higher level of agreement on how to operationalize and implement TIC in international research could be important in order to better examine its impact and broaden the approach.

Aims: To explore how consultation exercises were described in a convenience sample of recent scoping reviews.Design: Critical literature review.Data sources: We searched PsycINFO, Embase, CINAHL and PubMed in July 2020. Our inclusion criterion was a peer‐reviewed journal article reporting a scoping review in Danish, English, Norwegian or Swedish.Review methods: We identified a convenience sample of articles (n = 66) reporting a consultation exercise as part of a scoping review. The descriptions of the consultation were charted, summarized and critically discussed.Results: The current analysis showed no widely accepted consensus on how to approach and report a consultation exercise in the sample of scoping reviews. The reports of stakeholder consultation processes were often brief and general, and often there were no reports of the effects of the stakeholder consultation processes. Further, there was no discussion of the principal theoretical problems mixing stakeholder voices and review findings.Conclusion: The finding that conventional research ethics and research methods often were suspended could indicate that the stakeholder consultants were in a precarious position because of power imbalances between researchers and stakeholder consultants. We suggest that a consultation exercise should only be included when it genuinely invites participation and reports on the effect of alternative voices.Impact: Scoping reviews are common across a range of disciplines, but they often lack definitional and methodological clarity. In their influential approach to scoping studies, Arksey and OʼMalley introduced an optional ‘consultation exercise’, which has been heralded as a valuable tool that can be used to strengthen the process and outcome of a scoping study and to support the dissemination of the studyʼs findings and its implications. However, there is no clear outline on about how to operationalize consultations of stakeholders in scoping studies/reviews. This article includes recommendations for consultation exercises, including encouraging an aspirational move from ‘consultation’ to ‘participation’.

Accessible Summary: What Is Known on the Subject?: The Brøset Violence Checklist (BVC) has been widely translated and implemented in diverse mental healthcare settings to improve prevention of violence. It is valued as a brief but effective tool in clinical practice. What the Paper Adds to Existing Knowledge?: This review is the largest and most comprehensive international review of the BVC conducted in the 25+ years since the inception of the instrument in 1995. It integrates findings from existing studies and establishes that the tool has many impressive strengths considering the brief time investment required for completion. The review reveals that the tool has been used in more than 20 different countries around the world in a variety of mental health and other settings as both a risk assessment tool to guide clinical practice and as a formally structured intervention to minimize violence. There is much variation in how the tool is implemented and scored in different services. This variation questions its applicability as a resource and consistency and its use needs attention. This variation in use also limits the conclusions regarding best practices. What Are the Implications for Practice?: The review supports the use of the BVC as one part of the package for mental health services committed to preventive action aimed at reducing violence and coercion. The review identified that the patient perspective was often absent when completing the BVC, and so this should be considered as an option by services as part of a collaborative philosophy of care. Introduction: Existing literature on the Brøset Violence Checklist (BVC) is examined in the context of usability, implementation and validity to provide evidence‐based recommendations on its application and identify opportunities for future development.Aim/Question: To identify current knowledge on the BVC and guide clinicians and researchers toward the next steps in using this tool in clinical practice to prevent violence in healthcare settings.Method: A scoping review approach with a meta‐analysis supplement was adopted to broadly identify and map available evidence on the BVC and provide specific estimates of predictive validity in different contexts.Results: Sixty‐two studies conducted in 23 countries addressed the implementation of the BVC across various settings. Many studies adapted the original BVC, and the clinical utility was noted as an important feature. A meta‐analysis of the original BVC format estimated a pooled area under the curve at 0.83 (95% CI 0.78–0.87) in a subset of 15 studies.Discussion: The BVC combines high predictive validity and good clinical utility across a wide range of settings and cultures. It should continue to be incorporated into routine practice in mental health services focused on preventing violence and coercion.Implications for practice: Development of collaborative approaches with service users involved in assessing their own risk of future violence.

This multiple case study explored de-escalation processes in threatening and violent situations based on patients and staff members perspectives. Our post hoc analysis indicated that de-escalation included responsive interactions influenced by the perspectives of both patients and staff members. We assembled their perspectives in a mental model consisting of three interdependent stages: (1) memories and hope, (2) safety and creativity and (3) reflective moments. The data indicated that both patients and staff strived for peaceful solutions and that a dynamic and sociological understanding of de-escalation can foster shared problem solving in violent and threatening situations.