Assaults and even murder are becoming a major problem in hospitals and other healthcare organizations across the country. The rate of injuries and illness from violence in the healthcare industry is more than three times greater than violence in all private industries.

OSHA identifies healthcare as one of three "high-risk" industries for violence. The violence is perpetrated not only by patients, their families, and visitors but also among the health professionals themselves.

In 2021 hospital violence increased by 149% from the previous year. More than 5,000 nurses were assaulted on the job in the second quarter of 2022 alone, which equals 2 nurses assaulted every hour, 57 assaulted daily, and 1,739 nurses assaulted per month. Violence against nurses is an epidemic. Two-thirds of ER physicians have been assaulted in the last year. The violence is perpetrated not only by patients, their families, and visitors but as well among the health professionals themselves. It may include a patient admitted to the ER high on drugs and wielding a knife. Or, it may be an enraged physician in the operating room flinging a scalpel at a nurse. One nurse stated it is inevitable in bedside nursing that the nurse will be assaulted at some point. Some studies report that hospitals do little to prevent or respond to violent episodes.

Healthcare organizations include hospitals, outpatient clinics, medical office clinics, home health care, home-based hospice, paramedic, and emergency medical services, mobile clinics, drug treatment programs, and ancillary healthcare organizations. What makes violence in healthcare unique is that it carries negative ramifications for quality patient care.

Violence in healthcare is not unique to the United States. In 2018, the 6th International Conference on Violence in Healthcare was held in Ireland. In the U.S. some states, such as California, have passed legislation specifically addressing violence in healthcare. Unfortunately, many more incidents probably go unreported.

Why you should Attend: 

The Joint Commission has even taken a stand on dealing with unsafe patient care due to abusive (which may constitute violence) behavior by health professionals. Your role as a leader in your healthcare organization equates to a responsibility to create and sustain a safe working environment for your employees AND a safe and healing environment for your patients. This seminar will review the critical elements required to plan, design, develop, implement, and evaluate your healthcare organization’s violence prevention plan. Are you prepared to deal with an active shooter on one of your patient floors-which happened in a hospital in Minnesota? As we hear more and more about mass shootings, it causes us to pause and wonder if it could really happen in a hospital, clinic, or when visiting a patient’s home. Fortunately, most violence does not rise to that level, but nonetheless, the violence that commonly occurs in healthcare has profound consequences for all involved. It is essential you prepare to prevent and react to minimize violence that occurs.

Areas Covered in the Session:

• To define workplace violence
• To provide examples of workplace violence in healthcare
• To discuss the relevant laws that address workplace violence
• To state the impact and consequences of violence to the healthcare victims, the organization, and patient care
• To examine the causes of healthcare violence
• To discuss a violence prevention program to ensure patients, families, visitors, and staff are safe
• To outline the roles and responsibilities of the organization’s stakeholders
• To explain how to help the workplace and workers recover following a violent episode

Who Will Benefit:

• Director of Risk Management
• Director of Safety
• Director of Quality Improvement
• Occupational Health Nurse
• VP of Nursing/Chief Nursing Officer
• Legal counsel
• Chief Medical Officer
• Chief Operations Officer