The Broset violence checklist - Sensitivity, specificity, and interrater reliability

The Broset Violence Checklist (BVC) assesses confusion, irritability, boisterousness, verbal threats, physical threats, and attack; on objects as either present or absent. It is hypothesized that an individual displaying two or more of these behaviors is more likely to be violent in the next 24-hour period. All 109 consecutive referrals to four psychiatric inpatient acute units during a 2-month period were included in the study. Ratings were performed at the time of admission and three times a day for each patient-once for each working shift. Interrater reliability was adequate. Thirty-four separate incidences of violence occurred Comparisons between ratings performed in the 24-hour interval before the incident and all other ratings suggested moderate sensitivity and good specificity of the instrument. It is concluded that the BVC is a useful instrument in predicting violence within the next 24-hour period and that the psychometric properties of the instrument are satisfactory.