Workplace Violence in Health Care and Agitation Management: Safety for Patients and Health Care Professionals Are Two Sides of the Same Coin

摘要

Health care workplace violence is a growing, pervasive,and underreported problem. Workers in the healthcare sector are at significantly higher risk for verbal andphysical assaults in the United States. 1,2 Reports estimate atleast 135 violent episodes resulting in injury-related missedworkdays per 10,000 workers per year. 1 Almost all of theseassaults are perpetrated by patients and/or visitors againsthealth care workers caring for them during the managementof agitation (labeled as type II assault). 3–5 Emergency department(ED) nurses report some of the highest rates, with100% citing verbal threats and 82% citing physical assaultin the past year. 1 As a result, health care workers report experiencingburnout and negative impacts on safety culture,as these experiences violate the fundamental therapeutic relationshipbetween providers and patients. 6 Despite thesesignificant implications for staff safety, workplace assaultsin the health care industry have been largely ignored as aresearch priority. Lack of unbiased data collection, rigorousexperimental design, and standardized reporting outcomesposes an uphill battle for policy makers and safety expertsattempting to creating impactful solutions to address theseviolent events.