Aim To determine the amount of violence experienced by a sample of A&E staff during a three-month period, and to explore the effect of aggression management training and exposure to violence on their self-efficacy in dealing with aggressive patients.

Method A small-scale questionnaire survey was undertaken of 130 staff.

Results 76 (58 per cent) responded. The findings suggested that verbal and physical violence were a common occurrence. The type and amount of aggression management training were variable. Greater self-efficacy in managing aggressive behaviour was observed in higher grades of staff, and in staff who had experienced higher levels of verbal aggression.

Conclusion Violence against nurses was widely reported. Their aggression management training did not appear to equip them with the skills required to manage this behaviour.