subject: Workplace Violence In The Healthcare Field [print this page] A recent study by the Emergency Nurses Association found that more than half of emergency nurses reported experiencing physical violence on the job. Nurses are assaulted at work on par with police officers and prison guards.
Hospitals are a dangerous environment for workplace violence because the people who go there are often under a tremendous amount of stress and many people do not behave well during such bad times. High stress scenarios include emergency rooms, shootings, gang violence, emergency surgery, sudden death or the traumatic death of a child.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates there are 2,600 non-fatal assaults on hospital staff each year. Recent hospital shootings are a harsh realization of the high risk of violence directed towards doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
Memphis, Tennessee: February 12, 2010 A firefighter with a history of domestic abuse was charged with murder for shooting of a nurse in the rear parking lot of Delta Medical Center.
Knoxville, Tennessee: April 19, 2011 A 38-year-old man shot and killed one woman and injured two others before killing himself at Parkwest Medical Center.
Winter Haven, Florida: May 10, 2010 A man brought a .38 revolver into Winter Haven Hospital and shot his bedridden wife and then himself.
Jacksonville, Florida: May 12, 2010 After a lengthy custody battle, a man seriously wounded his 11-year-old son and killed his son's mother before taking his own life in the parking garage of Baptist Medical Center.
Long Island, New York: June 16, 2010 An off-duty female New York jail guard fatally shot her former girlfriend outside Nassau University Medical Center.
Mayfield Heights, Ohio: July 9, 2010 A 77-year-old couple died in an apparent murder suicide at Hillcrest Hospital.
Las Vegas, Nevada: August 16, 2010 A 50-year-old woman shot and killed her husband who was suffering from deteriorating health, before killing herself at Las Vegas Valley Hospital.
John Hopkins Nursing Research News recently reported the findings of one of the largest U.S. studies to examine the risk factors for workplace violence in the healthcare field. This study revealed that one-fourth of physical violence and almost one-third of psychological violence is directed at nurses by patients' relatives.
Most hospitals want to present themselves as patient-friendly and family-friendly and do not want to force patients and visitors to walk through metal detectors. While some high risk inner city hospitals do use metal detectors, we recommend that hospitals focus on:
* Controlling access with layered levels of security
* Developing a comprehensive program that continually evaluates, prevents and minimizes situations and conditions that place workers in harms' way
* Providing on-going training to doctors, nurses and staff
