Healthcare workers are facing more violence

Although workplace violence in healthcare was already growing, the number of incidents has jumped significantly since the pandemic. According to a recent CDC survey, healthcare workers reported more than double the number of harassment incidents, including threats and bullying from patients and colleagues, in 2022 compared to 2018.

Between 2021 and 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded 26,120 cases of healthcare violence that led to days away from work, restricted activity, or job transfers. Hospital executives have also reported a surge in violent activity in recent months due to sicker, more frustrated patients, rising medical costs, and growing burnout among healthcare workers.

"We are definitely seeing a progression of more anger, aggression, violence — hitting, kicking, slapping, that kind of thing — of our staff," said Elijah Thompson, director of physical security at St. Luke's, a 16-hospital health system based in Kansas City.

"It's a scary place — people are sick, they're oftentimes confused when they're in the hospital and ill, they get frustrated very easily," said Marc Larsen, an emergency medicine physician at St. Luke's.

How technology can help

As violence against healthcare workers grows, hospitals are strengthening their physical security measures, including by expanding services into all hospital areas and implementing new, higher-tech systems that allow for real-time tracking.

"[M]ore healthcare organizations [are] exploring the use of existing and emerging technology to combat workplace violence, especially lone worker safety devices (i.e., panic or duress buttons or wearables), access control solutions, weapons detection, and software applications," said the National Safety Council.

For example, some health systems, including Jefferson Health and St. Luke's, are using a security system called Strongline, which was acquired by the technology company Commure in 2021. The system includes individual buttons that track wearers in real-time as soon as they are pressed and automatically notifies other staff members when a nearby colleague is in distress.

According to Larsen, the individual buttons are more useful than the single stationary panic button in hospital rooms that St. Luke's previously used. "If you're not standing within 2 feet of a panic button, it doesn't do you any good to try to run over, and then you might get cornered [by the aggressor] in the room," he said.

Separately, Joseph Byham, public safety lead at Thomas Jefferson University, said that proximity notifications, which let other staff members know an incident is happening, have helped prevent situations from escalating further. For example, when a traumatic brain injury patient tried to flee, several nearby staff members were alerted and prevented them from leaving until security arrived and took them back to their hospital room.

"Had it not been for that proximity notification, that patient would have been able to go out the fire escape and run out into the street," Byham said.

At St. Luke's, around 6,000 clinicians are currently using the Strongline security system, and the organization plans to expand its subscription to include roughly 8,000 additional clinicians over the next few months. At Jefferson Health, around 15,000 of its 40,000 employees currently use Strongline badges, and it is planning to roll out the badges to more facilities.

Other companies also offer similar technology for healthcare organizations. For example, Hillrom, a medical device company, offers panic buttons and real-time tracking for workers. Securitas Technology, a medical technology company, sells Wi-Fi-enabled badges that can be used to alert security.

Outside of technological improvements, federal regulators are also working to combat violence against healthcare workers. Currently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is developing standards to prevent workplace violence in healthcare settings, including hospitals, behavioral health facilities, and homes where caregivers work.

OSHA is also reviewing recommendations on how to mitigate violence in healthcare from a panel of small business owner and plans to propose a related rule sometime in the future. (Ravindranath, STAT, 11/15)

Use these resources to gain a global perspective of how violence is impacting frontline staff, and learn strategies to confront this issue at your own organization.