Violence against healthcare workers is a very real threat that many medical offices don’t take seriously enough, and if the results of a recent survey are any indication, every practice should prepare now to protect their staff and patients against these threats.
Background: A new review of hospital data from 2023 indicates that over 10 percent of all hospital workers were affected by workplace violence or aggression last year. These incidents involved staff members from a wide range of roles, including gift shop workers, nurses, doctors and cafeteria staff.
About 41 percent of the incidents involving violence against healthcare workers started in emergency departments, and another 41 percent occurred in inpatient and surgical areas. The rest spanned across the entire hospital, including back office areas, critical care units and more. Violent incidents occurred more frequently on holidays, weekdays and during COVID surges, but waned during holidays, the report noted.
Discover how you can prepare to protect your staff against threats of violence against healthcare workers.
Create an Action Plan
The best way to protect your staff when incidents involving violence against healthcare workers occur is to have an action plan in place ahead of time, and to train your entire team on how to deploy it when needed. Consider adding the following factors to your action plan.
Involve the entire office: As the new survey indicates, everyone is at risk of a patient outburst incident, so no one on your team should be excluded from the action plan. You may think that only providers and front desk staff members are at risk, but that’s absolutely inaccurate. An angry patient can quickly tear through your office and act violent toward everyone they come across, so it’s essential that even back office staff members are aware of what to do if such an incident occurs.
List warning signs to know: Not everyone is adept at picking up subtle cues that may indicate patients are about to lose their cool, but your action plan should include a few examples to help them identify these risk factors. For instance, patients who get red in the face, stumble over their words, use a high-pitched tone of voice, glare at your team members or pace back and forth may be more liable to get aggressive, which can lead them to commit acts of violence against healthcare workers.
Integrate mitigation strategies: Once your team knows how to identify a patient who’s getting aggressive, it’s time to employ mitigation tactics to help them calm down. It’s a good idea to first hear them out, since some patients just want to get a grievance off their chest. Listen carefully and show them that you care by nodding and reacting or taking down notes. Speak clearly and calmly, and ask if there’s anything you can do to help, but if they cross a boundary, escalate the situation.
Create an escalation chart: Only your practice can define the escalation levels that are essential to you, but in general, you’ll want to have a way that staffers can escalate concerns if they’re unable to calm patients on their own. You may want to show the patient your policy that outlines what’s tolerated in your office, explain that you don’t appreciate their tone or language and that you’ll be getting a manager, or even call 911 when necessary. By having these types of escalation steps in writing, your staff will be better able to handle incidents of violence against healthcare workers, allowing them to stay safe.
It’s essential to keep your staff members and patients safe from threats of violence at your practice. Expert Mike Cummings, CPP can provide you with actionable strategies that help you boost safety at your office. During his 60-minute training session, De-escalate Angry Patients at Your Front Desk More Quickly, Mike will walk you through ever tactic you must know to stay safe. Register today!
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