If you ask any healthcare worker if they have witnessed or been personally victimized by workplace violence, the odds are very high they will answer, “yes.” Sadly, workplace violence in healthcare settings has become so commonplace that it is considered normal and “part of the job.”
The continued increase in workplace violence in healthcare settings is unsustainable and urgent action is needed to address this issue.
The immediate impact of violence in hospital workplaces
Workplace violence can take many forms beyond just physical, whether that be being attacked by a patient coming out of surgery, by a grieving family member of a patient, or being assaulted by a co-worker. Workplace violence can also be verbal, sexual, or bullying. Workplace violence is most common among healthcare workers, but it can happen to anyone, including hospital visitors or patients.
If left unchecked, workplace violence has immediate and severe consequences. Research shows that chronic exposure to workplace violence leads to reduced productivity, lower morale, increased absenteeism, increased burnout and an increased risk of developing mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.
Downstream effects of hospital workplace violence: Increased turnover
Workplace safety is a major cause of burnout and turnover, exacerbating staffing shortages and driving additional costs for hospitals. According to McKinsey, more than one-third of nurses surveyed say they intend to leave their jobs in 2023, with an unsafe work environment being the most important factor influencing this decision. This alarming statistic is up from 24% in March 2022.
RELATED: More than 8 in 10 nurses have experienced workplace violence in the past year
For hospital administrators, resolving staff shortages creates a variety of challenges, from additional hiring and training costs, to increased overtime, to the need to hire ancillary staff such as traveling nurses. In all cases, turnover puts additional strain on remaining staff, compounding the impact. All of this negatively impacts employee morale and leads to potential burnout.
Perhaps the most serious consequence of workplace violence is the impact it has on nurses’ ability to focus on patient care. Nurses may be hesitant to enter certain patient rooms or areas of the hospital if they fear for their own safety. Similarly, routine verbal abuse and threats of violence further interfere with nurses’ primary objective of providing the highest quality patient care in a safe environment, not to mention the negative impacts on their physical and mental health.
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AI-powered solutions for medical staff safety
Traditional staff safety solutions have been inadequate to tackle the rise in workplace violence. Wall-mounted panic buttons, for example, do little to de-escalate a situation and are impractical if you’re being chased or the assailant is standing between the button and the staff member. While certainly an improvement, wearable badges with panic buttons are often inadequate due to cost, deployment and accuracy issues.
Fortunately, a new category of staff safety solutions is overcoming the inadequacies of traditional solutions by leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, cost-effective sensor technology, and improved wearable panic buttons. With the power of AI at the core of these solutions, hospitals can now provide comprehensive coverage across their campuses, enabling security teams to pinpoint the exact location of at-risk personnel in real time, even if they are on the move or outside on sidewalks, in parking lots, or in garages when an incident occurs.
These AI-driven staff safety solutions include incident management suites that provide forensic reporting and insights to help hospital administrators identify violence hotspots within their facilities and address the number of unreported incidents. In addition to notifying facilities about specific workplace incidents, this knowledge helps hospitals proactively address problematic situations before they occur.
A problem calling for change
The alarming prevalence of workplace violence in hospitals highlights the vital importance of immediate and effective intervention. The physical and mental strain on healthcare workers, combined with the operational and financial strain on hospital administrations, highlight the urgency of adopting innovative solutions.
RELATED: Assaults on nurses to increase by 5% in 2023
Hospitals must prioritize the implementation of these advanced systems as regulatory pressures mount from organizations such as the Joint Commission and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Failure to demonstrate a comprehensive plan and meaningful changes to address workplace violence could result in punitive action.
Implementing AI-enabled safety measures is more than just a technology upgrade – it’s a necessary step to foster a safe and supportive healthcare environment and ensure the well-being of both staff and patients.
Jeff Stiffler is director of healthcare product marketing at Cognosos, a real-time asset intelligence software company.
Notes: Opinions expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, or be attributed to, Campus Safety.
