Workplace Violence
Workplace Violence
According to an article in the Nursing Management magazine the definition of workplace violence is “any incident in which employers, self-employed people, and others are abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances arising out of, or in the course of, the work undertaken” (Elliot, 1997). People in the health care field experience this type of issue more often than most people may believe. Research shows 35-85% of hospital staff reported that at least once during their careers, they have been physically assaulted (Clements et al., 2005). Health care workers are considered to be among the most vulnerable to violence (Sullivan, Decker, 2009). Working in the healthcare field can be one of …show more content…
the most physically, mentally, and emotionally draining career paths people can choose. On top of that violence can lead to job dissatisfaction rather quickly. This violence can create a high turnover within the facility, which is a big expense from a managerial aspect as well as the cost of the harm that was done to the employee (Sullivan, Decker, 2009). The hostile work environment can deter others from seeking employment within an entity, which makes for staffing shortages, which further decreased staff satisfaction, and increases chances for violence (Sullivan, Decker, 2009). Violence can lead to such a chain reaction within a facility, leaving a manager with inadequate staff and low morale.
Workplace violence has been an issue for a long time; in 1970 the “General Duty Clause” was developed by OSHA in efforts to support employees working in a safe environment (Elliot, 1997).
It has been modified, but still aims to protect the well being of the employee. Noncompliance with these guidelines leads to fines, but has never been set in stone as a law. An article published in Nursing World refers to workplace violence as “one of the most complex and dangerous occupational hazards facing nurses” (Lipscomb, McPhaul, 2004). Nurses that practice in hospitals can encounter some of the most highly emotional times of peoples lives. Dealing with the health of people and their family members, brings out emotions people did not even know they had and nurses take the brunt of that anger, anxiety, fear, etc. Nurses are giving direct patient care 24 hours a day and are there to absorb the array of emotions expressed by patients as well as their family members. A Florida survey showed that 100% of employees working in the emergency room reported experiencing verbal threats and 82% reported being physically assaulted (Lipscomb, McPhaul, 2004). The emergency room employees are exposed to a vast array of people experiencing mental health break downs, severe life threatening events, family members at the brink of death, and unfortunately those employees suffer the most violence because of how high the stress levels are at that time for people. Nonfatal assaults are said to …show more content…
happen almost four times more often in healthcare than in any other private sector industry combined (Clements et al., 2005). In 1999 there were 2,637 nonfatal assaults on hospital workers alone (Clements et al., 2005). These numbers are so high, and they are the ones that were actually reported.
There are three categories that workplace violence can fall into; violence committed by strangers, by the client or consumer, and by a current or former employee (Ginn, Henry, 2002). OSHA recommends management support a zero tolerance for this violence, but for management to be able to uphold this zero tolerance issues must be reported and research is finding that most cases are never reported (Elliot, 1997). Another issue that has come about for reporting and entities complying with OSHA’s zero tolerance is that it is not a mandated topic. OSHA has come into the conflict of management seeing these guidelines as a burden because they would have to take the time and cost to train employees on proper ways to handle violence and until something catastrophic happens, the violence issue is rarely addressed (Ginn, Henry, 2002). Although mandatory training for all employees seems expensive and viewed as a daunting task, the legal liability of the facility may cost even more money in the event of a violent outbreak for those employees that are harmed during that incident and were not trained on proper ways to handle violence (Ginn, Henrey, 2002). It would be unrealistic to expect a workplace to be free from any type of violence at any time, education and some extra safety measures would be helpful for employees to know how to deal with potentially violent situations. Some noted risk factors for violence in a healthcare facility include:
· Being understaffed
· Prolonged waiting times to be seen
· Staff that is working alone
· Inadequate security
· Unlimited public access (Sullivan, Decker, 2009).
If education about workplace violence was mandated for each employee, it would heighten the amount of reported violent incidences, instead of staff thinking that that type of behavior from patients or family members was just part of the job.
When those incidences are reported, they could be addressed right away and potentially cut down the risk for violence. There is little to no research studies to point managers in the right direction as far as how to prevent violence toward healthcare workers (Lipscomb, McPhaul, 2004). Some researchers offer suggestions on how to cut down on violent situations. One suggestion is that employees should be trained on how to deescalate possible violent situations along with proper steps on how to report a violent outbreak (Clements et al., 2005). To go along with this suggestion, managers should be willing to respond to the situation immediately. Another suggestion would be to have the managers be encouraging staff to report violence, personally follow up on it, and be able to offer the proper counseling if needed (Elliot, 1997). An example would be that if there was a busy evening in the emergency room and an angry waiting family member approaches the desk threatening the triage nurse in a violent manner. The nurse should be trained on things to say to help reassure the patient his family member is very important and the staff is doing everything they can to make sure they get to her as soon as they can. Following the de-escalation,
the staff member should know to report the situation immediately to the manager. That manager should also help to try and address the problem; possibly calling in another nurse to help with high patient volumes. Another example would be to have more than one staff member at the desk, because people are less likely to be violent if there is more than one person involved (Lipscomb, McPhaul, 2004). There are some hospitals that keep a security officer at the front desk with the emergency room nurse which also seems to divert violence (Lipscomb, McPhaul, 2004). Managers making sure their staff is fully equipped to deal with potentially violent situations could ultimately be the major key to lowering the violence rate at the workplace. In conclusion, workplace violence is so prevalent in hospitals and toward healthcare members for all different varieties of reasons. OSHA has set guidelines for facilities to follow to keep staff members safe, but not all entities are complying with these suggested guidelines. Managers could mandate an educational program that outlines how to deescalate a violent situation as well as feeling comfortable reporting that incident. There also could be counseling available to staff members needing additional support after a violent outbreak. Workplace violence cannot be eradicated, but with some education, the large numbers of violence could be decreased.
References
Workplace Violence and Corporate Policy for Healthcare Settings. Clements, Paul; Deraneri, Joseph; Clark, Kathleen; Manno, Martin; Wolcik Kunn, Douglas. Nursing Economics. May/June 2005. Retrieved on April 21, 2012.
Effective Leadership and Nursing Management in Nursing. Decker, Phillip,& Sullivan, Eleanor. Copyright 2009. 290-291.
Violence In Healthcare. Elliot, Pamela. December 1997. Nursing Management. Retrieved on April 21, 2012.
Addressing Workplace Violence from a Health Management Perspective: Quarterly Journal. Ginn, Gregory; Henry, Jean. Autumn 2002. S.A.M. Advanced Management Journal. Retrieved on April 21, 2012.
Workplace Violence in Helathcare: Recognized but Not Regulated. Lipscomb, Jane, & McPhaul, Kathleen. 2004. Retrieved on April 21, 2012
According to an article in the Nursing Management magazine the definition of workplace violence is “any incident in which employers, self-employed people, and others are abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances arising out of, or in the course of, the work undertaken” (Elliot, 1997). People in the health care field experience this type of issue more often than most people may believe. Research shows 35-85% of hospital staff reported that at least once during their careers, they have been physically assaulted (Clements et al., 2005). Health care workers are considered to be among the most vulnerable to violence (Sullivan, Decker, 2009). Working in the healthcare field can be one of …show more content…
the most physically, mentally, and emotionally draining career paths people can choose. On top of that violence can lead to job dissatisfaction rather quickly. This violence can create a high turnover within the facility, which is a big expense from a managerial aspect as well as the cost of the harm that was done to the employee (Sullivan, Decker, 2009). The hostile work environment can deter others from seeking employment within an entity, which makes for staffing shortages, which further decreased staff satisfaction, and increases chances for violence (Sullivan, Decker, 2009). Violence can lead to such a chain reaction within a facility, leaving a manager with inadequate staff and low morale.
Workplace violence has been an issue for a long time; in 1970 the “General Duty Clause” was developed by OSHA in efforts to support employees working in a safe environment (Elliot, 1997).
It has been modified, but still aims to protect the well being of the employee. Noncompliance with these guidelines leads to fines, but has never been set in stone as a law. An article published in Nursing World refers to workplace violence as “one of the most complex and dangerous occupational hazards facing nurses” (Lipscomb, McPhaul, 2004). Nurses that practice in hospitals can encounter some of the most highly emotional times of peoples lives. Dealing with the health of people and their family members, brings out emotions people did not even know they had and nurses take the brunt of that anger, anxiety, fear, etc. Nurses are giving direct patient care 24 hours a day and are there to absorb the array of emotions expressed by patients as well as their family members. A Florida survey showed that 100% of employees working in the emergency room reported experiencing verbal threats and 82% reported being physically assaulted (Lipscomb, McPhaul, 2004). The emergency room employees are exposed to a vast array of people experiencing mental health break downs, severe life threatening events, family members at the brink of death, and unfortunately those employees suffer the most violence because of how high the stress levels are at that time for people. Nonfatal assaults are said to …show more content…
happen almost four times more often in healthcare than in any other private sector industry combined (Clements et al., 2005). In 1999 there were 2,637 nonfatal assaults on hospital workers alone (Clements et al., 2005). These numbers are so high, and they are the ones that were actually reported.
There are three categories that workplace violence can fall into; violence committed by strangers, by the client or consumer, and by a current or former employee (Ginn, Henry, 2002). OSHA recommends management support a zero tolerance for this violence, but for management to be able to uphold this zero tolerance issues must be reported and research is finding that most cases are never reported (Elliot, 1997). Another issue that has come about for reporting and entities complying with OSHA’s zero tolerance is that it is not a mandated topic. OSHA has come into the conflict of management seeing these guidelines as a burden because they would have to take the time and cost to train employees on proper ways to handle violence and until something catastrophic happens, the violence issue is rarely addressed (Ginn, Henry, 2002). Although mandatory training for all employees seems expensive and viewed as a daunting task, the legal liability of the facility may cost even more money in the event of a violent outbreak for those employees that are harmed during that incident and were not trained on proper ways to handle violence (Ginn, Henrey, 2002). It would be unrealistic to expect a workplace to be free from any type of violence at any time, education and some extra safety measures would be helpful for employees to know how to deal with potentially violent situations. Some noted risk factors for violence in a healthcare facility include:
· Being understaffed
· Prolonged waiting times to be seen
· Staff that is working alone
· Inadequate security
· Unlimited public access (Sullivan, Decker, 2009).
If education about workplace violence was mandated for each employee, it would heighten the amount of reported violent incidences, instead of staff thinking that that type of behavior from patients or family members was just part of the job.
When those incidences are reported, they could be addressed right away and potentially cut down the risk for violence. There is little to no research studies to point managers in the right direction as far as how to prevent violence toward healthcare workers (Lipscomb, McPhaul, 2004). Some researchers offer suggestions on how to cut down on violent situations. One suggestion is that employees should be trained on how to deescalate possible violent situations along with proper steps on how to report a violent outbreak (Clements et al., 2005). To go along with this suggestion, managers should be willing to respond to the situation immediately. Another suggestion would be to have the managers be encouraging staff to report violence, personally follow up on it, and be able to offer the proper counseling if needed (Elliot, 1997). An example would be that if there was a busy evening in the emergency room and an angry waiting family member approaches the desk threatening the triage nurse in a violent manner. The nurse should be trained on things to say to help reassure the patient his family member is very important and the staff is doing everything they can to make sure they get to her as soon as they can. Following the de-escalation,
the staff member should know to report the situation immediately to the manager. That manager should also help to try and address the problem; possibly calling in another nurse to help with high patient volumes. Another example would be to have more than one staff member at the desk, because people are less likely to be violent if there is more than one person involved (Lipscomb, McPhaul, 2004). There are some hospitals that keep a security officer at the front desk with the emergency room nurse which also seems to divert violence (Lipscomb, McPhaul, 2004). Managers making sure their staff is fully equipped to deal with potentially violent situations could ultimately be the major key to lowering the violence rate at the workplace. In conclusion, workplace violence is so prevalent in hospitals and toward healthcare members for all different varieties of reasons. OSHA has set guidelines for facilities to follow to keep staff members safe, but not all entities are complying with these suggested guidelines. Managers could mandate an educational program that outlines how to deescalate a violent situation as well as feeling comfortable reporting that incident. There also could be counseling available to staff members needing additional support after a violent outbreak. Workplace violence cannot be eradicated, but with some education, the large numbers of violence could be decreased.
References
Workplace Violence and Corporate Policy for Healthcare Settings. Clements, Paul; Deraneri, Joseph; Clark, Kathleen; Manno, Martin; Wolcik Kunn, Douglas. Nursing Economics. May/June 2005. Retrieved on April 21, 2012.
Effective Leadership and Nursing Management in Nursing. Decker, Phillip,& Sullivan, Eleanor. Copyright 2009. 290-291.
Violence In Healthcare. Elliot, Pamela. December 1997. Nursing Management. Retrieved on April 21, 2012.
Addressing Workplace Violence from a Health Management Perspective: Quarterly Journal. Ginn, Gregory; Henry, Jean. Autumn 2002. S.A.M. Advanced Management Journal. Retrieved on April 21, 2012.
Workplace Violence in Helathcare: Recognized but Not Regulated. Lipscomb, Jane, & McPhaul, Kathleen. 2004. Retrieved on April 21, 2012