The PreVCo study (Prevention of Violence and Coercion) is a nationwide RCT on the implementation of German Clinical Practice Guidelines “Prevention of Coercion – Prevention and Treatment of Violent Behavior in Adults”. 12 implementation recommendations were derived from the guidelines. These were presented with the help of external consultants in multidisciplinary workshops on 55 wards throughout Germany. Implementation then took place in a randomized matched-pair design with an intervention and a waiting list group over a total of 2 years. The main outcome is coercive measures per month and bed. Secondary outcome will be cumulative duration of seclusion and restraint per bed and year as well as the change before and after the intervention in the waiting list group. Aggressive incidents are also reported. Degree of implementation of the single recommendations is assessed by Likert Scales.