Violence at work
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in the year 2000, “health service workers overall had an incidence rate of 9.3 for injuries [per 10,000 full-time workers] resulting from assaults and violent acts. The rate for social service workers was 15, and for nursing and personal care facility workers, 25. This compares to an overall private sector injury rate of 2.”
Some of the contributing factors to workplace attacks on nurses include:
- Easy availability of weapons
- Presence of drugs and valuables in the hospital
- Long waits in emergency rooms
- Low levels of staffing
- Insufficient security measures (broken no locks, few security guards)
- Poorly lit parking lots
Also, as saddening as it is to think of, workplace violence isn’t always from a patient, relative or criminal off the street. It’s sometimes peer to peer.
This article is so true. I recently got back into Home Health, and entered a home with a “difficult” client. Out of the blue, he threatened me with a butcher knife he had grabbed off of a nearby table, screaming at me for no appearent reason. Only moments earlier, we were having a good conversation about his daughter, while I did my job. Needless to say, I’ve never felt so terrified in my life, considering he was literally only two feet from me and was threatening to throw the knife to cut me. I grabbed my car keys and couldn’t get out of there fast enough, leaving my gloves and other supplies at the home. This occured almost 2 weeks ago now, but it replays in my head constently. Makes me think Self Defense should be a required pre-requisite for any nurse.
While working in the OR at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, they presented a program to us called “Looking Forward to Being Attacked” which concentrated on all the points you presented and more. I would recommend it.