Healthcare workers face violence ‘epidemic'
Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Modern Healthcare Metrics
MDHC_Logotype_white
Subscribe
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • Login
  • News
    • This Week's News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition
    • Seema Verma
      Seema Verma's bold initiatives land her in No. 1 'Most Influential' spot
      MedPAC thinks hospice payments are too high
      Senate drug-pricing bill would halt DSH cuts for two years
      Flu season arrives early, driven by an unexpected virus
    • November was healthcare's second strongest hiring month of 2019
      Primary-care provider ChenMed to enter five new markets
      Lacking specialist access drives health disparities
      Genetic Counseling
      Addressing barriers to expanding genetic counseling
    • Silver-loading, CSR elimination lowered premiums for some rural enrollees
      Centene to sell Illinois plan to CVS Health
      Blue Cross of Idaho unveils souped-up short-term health plans
      Health insurers' debt obligations have soared in the last decade
    • MedPAC thinks hospice payments are too high
      MedPAC says ambulatory surgical centers don't need a pay raise
      States focus on healthcare costs to address coverage problems
      Hospitals sue HHS over negotiated price disclosure rule
    • Analysts to CommonSpirit Health: Show us the savings
      Smallest hospitals saw biggest earnings gains last month
      Sutter Health postpones financial filing
      doctor helping patient stock image Sandoz
      Sponsored Content Provided By Sandoz
      As hospital executives look to reduce costs, biosimilars offer a compelling option
    • astronaut
      Astronauts developed bloodstream issues in space
      Sponsored Content Provided By ABM Healthcare
      Protecting and Maintaining Medical Devices
      human hand robotic hand stock image
      Sponsored Content Provided By Deloitte
      The Health System of the Future: How Digital Health Technology is Transforming Care
      EHR
      EHR vendors most in-use throughout Medicare incentive program
    • MRIs of dense breasts find more cancer but also false alarms
      Flu season takes off quickly in Deep South states
      Uber driver says South Carolina hospital dumped patient on him
      1 in 3 adults age 45 and older reported being lonely in a 2018 AARP survey
      Data Points: Loneliness and its impact on health
    • Seema Verma
      Seema Verma's bold initiatives land her in No. 1 'Most Influential' spot
      New CEO takes the helm at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
      Mayo Clinic taps Dr. John Halamka to lead its Google partnership
      Jay Shannon out as CEO of Cook County Health
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Special Features
    • Best Practices
    • InDepth Special Reports
    • Innovations
    • Arkansas Children’s was a founding partner in Solutions for Patient Safety.
      Children's hospitals collaborate rather than compete on patient safety
      Peer recovery specialists at St. Barnabas Medical Center work with nurse Brenna Zarra.
      Peer recovery helping patients with addiction seek treatment
      UNC Health Care trains staff to treat dementia patients
      Doctor running
      Plain language alerts help Piedmont Healthcare patients, staff avoid confusion
    • Linda Kenney
      Patient advocate recalls two medical errors that nearly killed her
      Doctors and nurse with patient
      20 years after 'To Err is Human,' hospital care quality measures are still of little use
      Dr. Christine Cassel
      To err is human. That’s still true 20 years later, but some solutions to the problem aren’t helping
      Leah Binder, CEO of the Leapfrog Group, with her grandmother, Estelle Greifer.
      With no national reporting system, volume of medical errors is still unknown
    • Randy Oostra, CEO of ProMedica
      HCR ManorCare deal laid foundation for ProMedica’s growth
      Advanced ICU Care
      Telemedicine helps rural hospitals meet intensivist shortage
      Paging Dr. Robot: Artificial intelligence moves into care
      A child being screened for vision problems using a smartphone.
      App screens kids for eye problems before they can talk
  • Transformation
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • ProMedica doubles down on social needs data analysis
      Amazon taps first pharmacy for Alexa Rx management
      Trump administration unveils new price transparency rules
      A child being screened for vision problems using a smartphone.
      App screens kids for eye problems before they can talk
    • VA dives into artificial intelligence R&D
      Home health to pare down therapy services, up telehealth offerings
      Amazon launches medical transcription service
      Hospitals' uncompensated care continues to rise
    • Advanced ICU Care
      Telemedicine helps rural hospitals meet intensivist shortage
      Peer recovery specialists at St. Barnabas Medical Center work with nurse Brenna Zarra.
      Peer recovery helping patients with addiction seek treatment
      UNC Health Care trains staff to treat dementia patients
      UPS to kick off drone delivery service with hospital campuses
    • Value-based pay still struggles to improve costs, quality
      Hospitals sue HHS over negotiated price disclosure rule
      Bundled payments get a boost in two states with employee programs
      CMS wants primary-care docs to take on financial risk
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Data Points
    • Modern Healthcare Metrics
  • Op-Ed
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
    • Randy Oostra, CEO of ProMedica
      HCR ManorCare deal laid foundation for ProMedica’s growth
      Steve Strongwater
      How Atrius Health stayed independent by not shying away from risk
      Why moving the VA to a new EHR was a pivotal decision
      Why AdventHealth's rebrand was more than a name change
    • Terry Shaw
      A diverse and inclusive culture should empower others
      Paving the path to diversity and inclusion
      The next step in healthcare evolution
      Breaking Bias: A road map to boost women and minorities into healthcare leadership
    • David Dill and Keith Myers
      Healthcare partnerships are a proven path to better care, healthier communities
      Health systems need to devote more resources to caring for the caregivers
      Chip Kahn and Alan Morgan
      Rural healthcare needs innovation, policy changes to survive
      Fawn Lopez and Bernard Tyson
      In remembrance and gratitude for a life well-lived
    • Hospital with money
      Letters: Let providers set their prices,
 and then publish them all
      Letters: Ambulatory surgery centers aren't getting a break on regulation
      Letters: Rising Medicaid spending isn't a windfall for providers
      Letters: The complexity of prior authorization runs deep
    • Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      How blockchain could ease frustration with the payment process
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Three steps to better data-sharing for payer and provider CIOs
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Reduce total cost of care: 6 reasons why providers and payers should tackle the challenge together
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Why CIOs went from back-office operators to mission-critical innovators
  • Awards
    • Nominate
    • Award Programs
    • Previous Award Programs
    • Other Award Programs
    • Nominations Open - Top 25 Minority Leaders
      Nominations Open - Health Care Hall of Fame
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Top 25 Minority Leaders
    • Top 25 Women Leaders
    • Excellence in Nursing Awards
    • Design Awards
    • Top 25 COOs in Healthcare
    • 100 Top Hospitals
    • ACHE Awards
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Webinars
    • Kronos webinar logo lockup
      Sponsored Content Provided By Kronos
      Webinar: The Future of Work in Healthcare
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Healthcare Transformation Summit
    • Critical Connections: Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Workplace of the Future Conference
    • Strategic Marketing Conference
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Top 25 Minority Leaders Gala (2020)
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Providers
March 11, 2019 12:19 PM

Healthcare workers face violence ‘epidemic'

Lydia Coutré
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Getty Images
    Doctor Resting Head on Wall

    From verbal abuse to physical assaults, healthcare workers on a daily basis face threats to their safety as they care for patients.

    "There is a very fundamental problem in U.S. healthcare that very few people speak about, and that's the violence against healthcare workers," said Dr. Tom Mihaljevic, president and CEO of Cleveland Clinic. "Daily, literally daily, we're exposed to violent outbursts, in particular in our emergency rooms."

    It's a problem that happens at far greater rates in the healthcare sector than it does in the private sector overall, according to federal data. In fact, between 2002 and 2013, incidents of serious workplace violence were four times more common in healthcare than in private industry on average, according to data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA counts serious workplace violence as incidents requiring days off.

    Mihaljevic highlighted the issue in his annual State of the Clinic speech, calling it a "national epidemic."

    "It is an epidemic, because it is an epidemic that nobody speaks about," he said in an interview after his speech. "Yet it strains those who are trying to help others. It is very disconcerting to have well-meaning people who dedicated their lives and their careers being put in harm's way by trying to help others."

    Intentional worker injuries on the rise

    Hospitals have to strike a balance between security concerns and offering easily accessible facilities for patients to seek care and others to visit loved ones.

    Health systems have implemented panic buttons, badge access to certain areas, limited guest hours, metal detectors, police presence, security cameras, de-escalation training, emergency preparedness and more.

    It's up to the individual organization to strike the right balance for its own situation. What works in a rural hospital may not make sense in an urban setting, said Gerard Castro, project director for patient safety initiatives at The Joint Commission, an independent not-for-profit organization that accredits nearly 21,000 healthcare organizations across the country on a series of quality and safety standards.

    "I think the real key here is to talk to the front-line workers — the nurses and the other clinicians that deal with this on a day-to-day basis," Castro said. "The organization has to work with them to come up with a plan to mitigate those risks associated with those problems, and it really takes a comprehensive and systematic approach to that particular issue."

    The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work, including "intentional injury by other person." Of the 18,400 such injuries reported in the private industry in 2017, 71% were reported in the healthcare and social assistance sector. And this only includes incidents that involved days away from work.

    Surveys and reports estimate that many incidents go unreported.

    "If you think about it from the perspective of a nurse that deals with, you know, patients on a day-to-day basis, it's like, how often have they been called names or hit or spat on? And that would fall within the definition of workplace violence," Castro said. "The thing is, healthcare workers, they put up with a lot of stuff and they are extremely resilient. And oftentimes they don't even realize that this is probably something that we should probably report."

    In 2018, the clinic confiscated a staggering 30,000 weapons from patients and visitors in its system in the Northeast Ohio region.

    That number is largely made up of edged weapons, such as knives, box cutters and razor blades, but also includes things like firearms, screwdrivers, pepper spray, stun guns and more. In the clinic's behavioral health settings, such as Lutheran and Marymount, lighters and matches are also confiscated, said David Easthon, chief of police for Cleveland Clinic.

    From time to time, weapons are found in the rooms of direct-admit patients, but the vast majority of weapons are confiscated at the metal detectors the clinic began installing in its emergency departments in 2016. Today, the clinic has metal detectors in nearly every hospital.

    Other hospitals in Cleveland report confiscating far fewer weapons.

    University Hospitals, which has no metal detectors but plans to pilot one soon, confiscated 298 weapons across its system last year, a number that includes firearms, pepper spray, knives, brass knuckles and box cutters. Most of those were confiscated during patient intake or examination.

    And MetroHealth confiscated 59 weapons in 2018, including guns, knives and box cutters. MetroHealth has had a metal detector in its emergency department since 2016.

    The metal detectors are just the first line of defense for the clinic. Its police force has exterior perimeter control, people posted in the lobbies and points of egress, and technology to monitor the system. The clinic has implemented panic buttons and provides police escorts for patients and visitors who request it.

    The system also has internal education on personal safety and safety awareness; an active program of "See something, hear something, say something"; training on de-escalation and how to address difficult situations; and a workplace violence committee with subcommittees at every hospital.

    MetroHealth didn't share specifics of its security measures, but said its system does everything it can to ensure the safety of patients and families.

    University Hospitals, too, has trained staff in de-escalation techniques and ways to increase survival, especially in active-shooter situations, said UH chief operating officer Ron Dziedzicki. He highlighted lockdown procedures, emergency preparedness exercises and committees and a mobile app for employees. The app includes a mobile panic button; a "See something, say something" reporting system; and "friend watch" in which a person sets a timer for their walk to the car and if they don't enter a PIN into the app within that time, a designated person and police department are alerted.

    UH is working on implementing a system that will alert staff to patients who were violent or angry at a previous visit to the system. It's also planning to implement a program currently in place at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital and UH MacDonald Women's Hospital in which visitors check in and are issued a badge, so staff who see someone without a badge can potentially report it.

    "I don't think hospitals are any different than churches or malls or movie theaters — except for hospitals, we are a provider of care. We save lives," Dziedzicki said. "So we have to balance the need to be able to have rapid access to care against that balance of safety for employees."

    "Healthcare workers face violence 'epidemic'" originally appeared in Crain's Cleveland Business.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Sponsored Content
    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up for free enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today

    The weekly magazine, websites, research and databases provide a powerful and all-encompassing industry presence. We help you make informed business decisions and lead your organizations to success.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Instagram

    Stay Connected

    Join the conversation with Modern Healthcare through our social media pages

    MDHC_Logotype_white
    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2019. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • This Week's News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition
    • Special Features
      • Best Practices
      • InDepth Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Transformation
      • Patients
      • Operations
      • Care Delivery
      • Payment
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Data Points
      • Modern Healthcare Metrics
    • Op-Ed
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Awards
      • Nominate
      • Award Programs
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Top 25 Minority Leaders
        • Top 25 Women Leaders
      • Previous Award Programs
        • Excellence in Nursing Awards
        • Design Awards
        • Top 25 COOs in Healthcare
      • Other Award Programs
        • 100 Top Hospitals
        • ACHE Awards
    • Events
      • Conferences
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Healthcare Transformation Summit
        • Critical Connections: Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
        • Workplace of the Future Conference
        • Strategic Marketing Conference
      • Galas
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Top 25 Minority Leaders Gala (2020)
      • Webinars
    • MORE +
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing