Confronting Violence Health Care Workplace Violence

Most people think of hospitals as places for healing. But the threat of violence -- which can take many forms -- can be a daily reality for nurses and other health care workers, creating a compelling need to properly address the issue, says Kate McPhaul, PhD, MPH, RN, assistant professor and program director for the University of Maryland Baltimore of Nursing’s Community/Public Health Nursing master’s specialty.

The issue gained national attention in September 2010 when a doctor at nearby Johns Hopkins Hospital was shot by the distraught son of a surgical patient. The shooter went on to kill both his mother and himself. The Hopkins doctor recovered.

“Health care workers face a unique situation in that violence is coming from our patients and visitors due to clinical reasons such as mental illness or head injury,” says McPhaul. “Workplace violence also has an effect on job satisfaction, patient care quality, and nurse turnover.”

With this in mind, McPhaul and other school faculty members are advising in the development of an evidence-based online training and educational resource that will be hosted on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) website.

“This program will set the standard on how health care workers should be trained to prevent violence, and it’s exciting that School of Nursing faculty members are playing such a major role,” said McPhaul.

McPhaul says that the workplace violence issues that nurses and other health care workers face go beyond physical risks. “Nurses also care about verbal abuse and hostility from patients, visitors, and even colleagues: incivility and bullying.” The most common violent situations are those in which staff members are verbally assaulted by frustrated, disgruntled, or unhappy patients and visitors, she says.

“Hospitalizations create high stress for families, not to mention pain from surgery, medication interactions, and other factors that would make someone agitated or hostile,” she said. “Less frequent but more dangerous are the confrontations with those who have a history of violence, which may or may not be known by the nurse, and who are under the influence or mentally unstable. Violent patients have physically assaulted staff resulting in severe bruises and contusions, and broken bones.”

McPhaul says that the online training content under development will include interactive and video elements using actors, to help learners better recognize and react to verbal violence.

“Many staff feel that verbal hostility is ‘part of the job’ and that nothing can be done about it,” she said. “We hope that once staff recognize verbal abuse, hostility, and verbal assaults and threats, they will be more likely to report it and less likely to tolerate it.”

The training program will offer methods for dealing with violent situations, including verbal de-escalation, patient behavioral contracts, earlier use of security, controlled

access to the building or ward, calling for assistance, and using an alarm system. While the program will initially focus on nurses, it will be as inclusive as possible to address the needs of all health care workers, McPhaul says.

The advantage of an online program backed by a federal agency (NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), McPhaul says, is that it can

be equally accessible to all health care facilities. Hospitals needn’t front the cost of developing the program themselves, and can rest assured that the federally-backed program will incorporate mandated safety standards.

McPhaul says that the program will aid existing hospital staff, new employees, and nursing students, and that nurses may be able to earn continuing education requirements.

“Any employer or nursing organization with an interest in patient and staff safety will benefit,” she says. “This training is especially critical for nurses in the ER and mental health wards, for their safety. In the end, safety is safety -- whether it’s for staff, patients, or visitors. All should have equal priority.”

After the training program is complete, there will be a piloting and evaluation process by nurses, hospitals, and professional organizations, among others, says McPhaul. She aims for the program to be online by early 2012.

 

Featured

  • AI to Help Resolve Non-Emergency Calls Across Utah and Decrease 911 Caller Wait Times

    The Utah Communications Authority (UCA), which oversees the state’s next generation 911 technology services, recently announced that public safety answering points (PSAPs) throughout the state plan to implement Motorola Solutions’ Virtual Response technology to automate the receipt and resolution of 10-digit non-emergency line calls in Utah with the help of AI. Read Now

  • Report Reveals Local Governments Face Surge in Ransomware Attacks with Minimal Resources

    KnowBe4, the cybersecurity platform that comprehensively addresses human risk management, recently released new research highlighting the critical cybersecurity challenges facing state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments. The report details how government organizations have become prime targets for cybercriminals while simultaneously facing severe resource constraints. Read Now

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

New Products

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.