Crisis in the workplace: Violence prevention and response for healthcare workers

Incidents of workplace violence and aggression against healthcare workers have escalated in the last decade, and those incidents are now the fastest growing statistic in the United States. Recent attacks on workers have continued to make headlines at almost a weekly rate, occurring in hospitals, physician offices, home health settings, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing, memory care and more. No healthcare setting is exempt. Although most of such incidents involve nursing staff, all healthcare workers are at risk, and physicians are no exception.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines physical and psychological workplace violence as “incidents where staff are abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances related to their work, including commuting to and from work, involving an explicit or implicit challenge to their safety, wellbeing or health.”

Four types of violence exist:

• Perpetrators that have no association with the workplace or employees, e.g., a person with criminal intent, commits an armed robbery.
• The attacker is a disgruntled customer, patient/resident or employee of the workplace, who punches a provider. This is the most common form of violence and is often committed by the patient/resident, family members or their friends.
• The attacker is a current or former employee of the workplace, such as a recently fired employee, who retaliates and harms a supervisor.
• The attacker has a personal relationship with the employee but not with the workplace. This form of violence often includes situations of intimate partner violence (formally known as domestic violence).

To learn more about risk mitigation strategies and to read WTW’s general guidelines for addressing how to customize your violence response plan, please fill out the form to the right to download our full PDF.

Disclaimer

Willis Towers Watson hopes you found the general information provided in this publication informative and helpful. The information contained herein is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice and should not be relied upon in lieu of consultation with your own legal advisors. In the event you would like more information regarding your insurance coverage, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. In North America, Willis Towers Watson offers insurance products through licensed entities, including Willis Towers Watson Northeast, Inc. (in the United States) and Willis Canada Inc. (in Canada).

Authors

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Joan M. Porcaro

RN, BSN, MM, CPHRM, FASHRM
Director, Operational & Risk Management Consulting

email Email phone +1 480 528 4872

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Rhonda DeMeno

RN, BS, MPM, RACT-CT, A-IPC, CPHRM
Director, Clinical Risk Services, Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Vertical

email Email phone +1 312 288 7704

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