Violence against healthcare workers (December 2019)

Summary

As patient safety improves, safety for healthcare workers seems to be getting worse. According to the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety Foundation, assault rates are at an all-time high since 2012, at a rate of 11.7 per 100 beds, and so is disorderly conduct, at 45.2 per bed. Other reports from around the United States show high rates of injury among healthcare workers, and that a significant number of these victims are working in fear—and there’s good reason to assume these incidents are grossly underreported. Patient Safety Authority Executive Director, Regina Hoffman, examines one of today’s biggest issues and raises the question: How can we reduce danger and violence in the workplace?