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Healthcare and Workplace Violence: A Growing Concern

Zoom Local News > Technology > Healthcare and Workplace Violence: A Growing Concern

Healthcare and Workplace Violence: A Growing Concern

Every industry must be aware of the threat of workplace violence. Healthcare workers arrive at their job every day with the goal being to save lives. They often don’t think about the threats they face as they go about this task. However, workplace violence remains a problem in this industry.

What is Workplace Violence?

To fully understand the threat of workplace violence, a person must know what it is. Physical violence is the first thing that comes to the minds of many, with intimidation being another. Harassment and other disruptive behaviors also qualify as workplace violence.

In fact, any act or threat of these types qualifies as violence in the workplace today. Workers aren’t the only ones who may be affected by violence in a healthcare setting. Visitors, clients, and customers might also be impacted.

Some threats are verbal, while others are physical. Sadly, there was a 13 percent increase in healthcare workplace violence in the period between 2009 and 2010. Many of these assaults took place in a nursing home or residential care facility.

Experts believe the prevalence of healthcare workplace violence is actually much higher, as they feel many incidents are never reported. Genetec offers solutions designed for healthcare settings to reduce the risk of violence of any kind.

Forms of Workplace Violence

Workplace violence comes in many forms in the healthcare industry. A healthcare worker may be bitten, kicked, punched, or pushed. Shoving, pinching, and scratching are other forms of violence, as are spitting and name calling.

A worker might be threatened or intimidated. A person might yell at them, harass them, or even engage in stalking. Healthcare workers have been beaten, choked, stabbed, and even killed. Any act of violence needs to be reported, regardless of its severity, to ensure these incidents don’t continue or escalate.

Categories of Healthcare Workplace Violence

Healthcare workplace violence can be divided into four categories. Type I violence involves an individual who has no association with the healthcare setting. Type II violence is an act committed by a patient or customer, while Type III violence is that committed by a current or former employee of the facility. Type IV violence, in contrast, is the act of a perpetrator who has no association with the workplace but has a relationship with one of the employees working in the facility.

Type II violence remains the most common in healthcare facilities today. Distress is often the cause of this violence, as healthcare workers deliver unpleasant news. When a person hears this news, they may react in a violent manner.

In addition, some healthcare workplace violence is beyond the control of the individual. For instance, a person coming out of anesthesia often has no control over their actions and they react violently. Although they do not have control, this act must still be reported. This allows the facility to track violence accurately and take steps to protect workers.

Evaluating Hazards and Coming Up with Solutions

When risk factors are identified, workers can take precautions to reduce the risk of becoming victims. The best way to avoid problems is to enact a zero-tolerance policy.

This policy needs to cover anyone who comes into contact with employees of the healthcare facility. It needs to protect not only the workers however but also any clients, visitors, patients, and anyone entering the facility.

Regular assessments of the workplace allow employers to identify ways to reduce the likelihood of workplace violence. OSHA recommends every facility craft and implement a Workplace Violence Prevention Program. When used with administrative and engineering controls, this program helps reduce violence in the workplace. However, everyone must undergo training to ensure they understand the program. The employer must investigate and remedy any claim of workplace violence, as well.

Risk Factors

Healthcare facilities need to identify risk factors that are known to reduce the increase of violence. For example, when employees will come into contact with a person who has a history or violence or being unstable, they can take measures to prevent problems from arising. To see a list of known risk factors, a person may review the NIOSH Current Intelligence Bulletin #57: Violence in the Workplace: Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies. 

Another helpful document is Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care and Social Services Workers. NIOSH reports every hospital must have a comprehensive program in place to prevent violence. Other healthcare settings should also have a program in place, particularly in those setting where violence remains a real concern. 

However, a one-size-fits-all program is not appropriate when it comes to preventing violence. Risk factors vary not only by the setting but also by different units in the setting.

For instance, an oncology practice might need to have violence prevention measures in place for doctors and nurses working with patients, but fewer measures for those nurses and employees handling infusion treatments. The doctors deliver unpleasant news to patients regularly, so they are more at risk of becoming victims. The infusion team handles treatments, so they are less at risk. 

For this reason, every facility should form a multidisciplinary committee, one that includes direct-care staff and union representatives (if available). This team is tasked with identifying risk factors associated with different scenarios. For each risk factor identified, a strategy should be developed to minimize the risk. 

In addition, every worker in a facility should remain alert and cautious when working with a patient or visitor. Safety training programs need to be mandatory, and every worker must have in-depth knowledge of policies, procedures, and materials relating to violence prevention. OSHA and the United States Department of Health and Human Services have many publications dedicated to this topic. 

Healthcare settings remain prone to violence for many reasons. As these are dynamic settings, potential scenarios for violence vary greatly. Mental illness, legal issues, devastating news, domestic disputes, and altered mental states are only a few of the countless reasons why a patient or visitor may become violent. Healthcare workers also experience a significant amount of stress, which makes them more prone to violence.

Everyone needs to work together to reduce violence, and the above measures are a good starting place. However, healthcare facilities also need to use tools and resources available today to reduce the risk. The right partner can help determine which tools will be of most benefit, so connect with a security provider today and begin reducing the risk of violence promptly.