Two nurses assaulted each hour on average, data shows

Photo: Dean Mitchell/Getty Images

More than two nurses were assaulted every hour on average in the second quarter of this year, translating to roughly 57 assaults per day, 1,739 assaults per month and 5,217 assaults per quarter, according to new data released by Press Ganey.

The findings are based on an analysis of 483 facilities in Press Ganey's national database.

The highest number of assaults occurred in psychiatric units, emergency departments and, surprisingly, pediatric units such as pediatric burn, rehabilitation and surgery. Obstetrics and neonatal intensive care units had the lowest number of nurse assaults reported.

Most of the assailants are patients. While patients are the largest source of violence, family members, co-workers, visitors and intruders also perpetrate violence, the numbers showed.

Also, the majority of assailants are male. An exception is in pediatric units and rehab units, where females are more likely than males to perpetrate violence. Meanwhile, psych units and rehab units have the largest percentage of assaults resulting in moderate or severe injuries.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT

For the purposes of the analysis, an assault is defined as any encounter involving forcible, unwanted physical or sexual contact, regardless of who carries out the assault and regardless of whether there is intent to harm. Accidental contact is not considered an assault.

Press Ganey advanced several steps healthcare organizations can take to mitigate violence against nurses. The first is to implement reporting systems for record-keeping and safety and well-being program evaluation.

The second step is to ensure caregiver safety is a core value, and to set the expectation that violence on the job is neither expected nor accepted. Paramount, authors said, is to enact formal policies and procedures for risk identification, hazard prevention and control, standard response plans and post-incident support.

They also recommended implementing training and education programs that teach warning signs, de-escalation techniques, progressive behavior control, emergency management and communication and teamwork.

THE LARGER TREND

Data compiled by the Cleveland Clinic in 2021 showed that while workplace violence can occur in any organization in any industry, it's about four times more prevalent in healthcare than it is in other industries.

And a National Nurses United survey done in November 2020 shows that, of 15,000 registered nurses nationwide who responded, 20% reported they were facing increased workplace violence.

The cost of covering violence-preventing security measures, whether in the form of hiring security staff, installing security infrastructure and providing training for staff, is a big expense, according to an American Hospital Association 2017 Cost of Community Violence to Hospitals and Health Systems report by Milliman.

Milliman analyzed the financial statements of 178 California hospitals and found that approximately 0.5% of total expenses were dedicated to security costs. This suggests that hospitals spent $4.7 billion on security in 2016 and that $847 million of this cost addresses violence.

The number of hospitals with workplace-violence-prevention programs increased between 2016 and 2018 – from 47.1% in 2016 to 53% in 2017 and 55.5% in 2018, according to another AHA report called the 2020 Environmental Scan.
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com