{"id":1833,"date":"2020-01-01T01:17:13","date_gmt":"2020-01-01T01:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.besafe.net\/?p=1833"},"modified":"2023-06-07T08:35:14","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T08:35:14","slug":"workplace-violence-in-healthcare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.besafe.net\/news\/workplace-violence-in-healthcare\/","title":{"rendered":"Keeping Doctors and Nurses Safe – Workplace Violence in Healthcare"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saving lives isn\u2019t easy, but it\u2019s rewarding. That\u2019s one reason why so many people choose healthcare as an occupation. The U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s (DOL) Occupational Outlook Handbook<\/a> projects 14% growth in healthcare employment from 2018 to 2028. Unfortunately, along with the usual dangers of the job, workplace violence in healthcare is a serious issue.<\/p>\n

Why is there such an <\/strong>epidemic of violence<\/strong><\/a> against healthcare workers<\/strong>, especially nurses?<\/p>\n

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)<\/a> estimates 71% of the 18,400 reported incidents of workplace violence in the private industry occurred in healthcare <\/strong>and social assistance recovery. Most of the victims were female and 18% required 31 or more days off work to recover.<\/p>\n

According to the American Nurses Association (ANA)<\/a>, 25% of nurses have been assaulted on the job. That\u2019s one out of every four nurses.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s such a problem that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) created CDC Course No. WB2908<\/a> to help the 35,000 healthcare workers who deal with workplace violence.<\/p>\n

These incidents are commonplace, but reported numbers don\u2019t always reflect the scope of the problem.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s examine workplace violence in healthcare from all angles to see how a resolution can be found.<\/p>\n

\"keepingThe Health of the Healthcare Industry<\/span><\/h2>\n

People live longer than in prior generations. The World Health Organization (WHO)<\/a> reports global life expectancy at birth increased 5.5 years<\/strong>, from 66.5 to 72, between 2000 and 2016.<\/p>\n

Women outlive men, and conditions like heart disease, road injury, lung cancers, pulmonary disease, and stroke top the list of reasons why. Men are more likely to suffer from hospitalizing conditions, and John Hopkins reports<\/a> medical errors as the third-leading cause of death, after heart disease and cancer, causing anywhere from 250,000-440,000 deaths each year.<\/p>\n

Still, the presence of trained medical professionals during childbirth, combined with vaccination coverage and healthier lifestyles, is attributed by the WHO as reasons for our longer life expectancy.<\/p>\n

However, not everyone has access to proper healthcare.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The U.S. Census<\/a> states 28.5 million Americans (8.8% of the population) didn\u2019t have health insurance in 2017. Most (67.2%) use private health insurance, and the American Heart Association<\/a> estimates the costs of cardiovascular disease and stroke were $351.2 billion.<\/p>\n

Hospital expenses in the U.S., according to the American Hospital Association (AHA)<\/a>, top $1 trillion per year, divided between the country\u2019s 6,210 hospitals. Deloitte<\/a> estimates this number will grow 5.4% annually between 2017 and 2022. The total admissions in 2017 were $36,510,207, and only 7.9% of patients stay overnight, according to the CDC<\/a>. The relationship between patients and providers is changing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The AHA reports telehealth usage in hospitals is rapidly growing<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> from 35% in 2010 to 76% in 2017. Access to improved remote healthcare is a focus of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rural Health Care Program<\/a>. This pilot program is spending $571 million a year establishing better broadband services in rural areas to promote better telemedicine.<\/p>\n

Public records are available to bring transparency to the FCC\u2019s efforts<\/a> in telehealth. This can help reduce much of the violence occurring in hospitals, but some areas are more prone to exposure to violence in the workplace than others, including:<\/p>\n

\"workplace<\/h4>\n

\u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Emergency Room Staff<\/span><\/h4>\n

The U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health (NLM NIH)<\/a> reports Emergency Departments (EDs) are experiencing increasing instances of workplace violence. Physical and nonphysical attack rates against ED nursing staff are 52 per 100 people each year. Emergency room staff is consistently exposed to workplace violence-induced anger, frustration, fear, stress, and irritability, and 13% of ED staff report long-term difficulty in dealing with after-effects.<\/p>\n

\u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Correctional Hospital Staff<\/span><\/h4>\n

Little information is known about attacks on healthcare workers in correctional facilities<\/a>, but prison staff in general experience 254 work-related injuries per 10,000 full-time employees. The NLM NIH notes the average across all industries is seven per 10,000 FTEs, making a 60x risk multiplier.<\/p>\n

\u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Psychiatric Care Staff<\/span><\/h4>\n

A study published by the NLM NIH<\/a> found nearly one of every five admitted psychiatric patients may commit violence. Schizophrenia, substance abuse, and history of violence are high-level risk factors. Long-term effects of exposure to this workplace violence caused fear, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), decreased job satisfaction, and lowered personal health quality.<\/p>\n

Identifying the most likely areas of violence is only half the battle. The overall health of the healthcare industry itself depends on protecting these high-risk employees. Not doing so has fatal consequences.<\/p>\n

Operational Security in the Operating Room<\/span><\/h2>\n

Hospitals have two forms of operational security (OPSEC)<\/a> necessary to remain safe \u2013 digital and physical. Both play an important role in reducing instances of workplace violence, so they must be addressed.<\/p>\n

\"digital1. Digital Security in Healthcare<\/span><\/h3>\n

Cybersecurity in healthcare is a major concern \u2013 HIPAA Journal<\/a> reports more patient and health records were stolen in 2015 than the previous six years combined. This is despite the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)<\/a> being introduced in 1996.<\/p>\n

The Office of Civil Rights (part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services<\/a>) strictly enforces regulations to protect health-related data. Breaches in privacy could get a hospital hit with fines up to $250,000<\/a>, as well as imprisonment of up to ten years for some offenses.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, financial incentives offered by the FCC are steadily increasing the ability of patients to interact with medical information and professionals electronically. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology<\/a> reports over 50% of hospitals let patients view, transmit, and download health info, along with offering secure messaging and VDT health info, online.<\/p>\n

Still, media reports show hospitals and physicians are grossly unprepared to handle today\u2019s cybersecurity threats. Malicious botnets like WannaCry hijacked computers<\/a>, holding necessary digital records hostage in exchange for Bitcoin ransom. This caused the cancelation of 20,000 patient appointments<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Mayo Clinic<\/a> explains how these cancellations can trigger angry reactions in people. When they do come in, they often come in already amped up. Compromised digital security increases the risks of responding to in-house violence.<\/p>\n

In addition, the country\u2019s 200 million 911 calls<\/a> require emergency responders with immediate access to detailed information about the nearest hospital. Everyone coming into the emergency room has high stress on both sides of the desk.<\/p>\n

\"physical2. Physical Security in Healthcare<\/span><\/h3>\n

Physical violence is only one of the crimes committed against hospitals around the country. The International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety<\/a>\u2019s Crime and Incident Survey reports the following crimes per 100 beds:<\/p>\n