Preventing Violence in America's Hospitals and Healthcare Systems

Written By Owen Metzger

Workplace violence is not a new problem in healthcare. However, rates of violence have increased significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic – particularly in Emergency Departments and Urgent Care facilities. Hospitals, clinics, and healthcare organizations across America must improve personal safety for healthcare workers and patients.

Preventing violence in healthcare is a challenge because members of the public visiting hospitals are often there at the hospital dealing with their own illness or the illness of a loved one. Healthcare workers are aligned on a primary focus: saving the lives of patients. They should not, however, need to contend with threats, assaults, or injuries.

My name is Owen Metzger, and I am passionate about improving the state of healthcare in America. In addition to working with Second Sight as a business consultant, I also utilize LEAN process improvement, business analysis, and strategic decision-making to understand trends and recommend solutions for a better healthcare environment for all. 

All of us, at some point in our lives, will be on the receiving end of care at a hospital or clinic. In order to receive the best care possible, healthcare workers - doctors, surgeons, nurses, social workers, case managers, support staff, and many others - need to be safe in their work environments. This, unfortunately, is not the case in many hospitals and clinics throughout the United States. This blog dives into the current healthcare crisis, highlights trends, and recommends actionable implementation solutions. 

Rising Violence in Hospitals

According to a 2019 International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety survey, America's hospitals had an average of 11.7 physical assaults per 100 beds in 2018. Before the pandemic in early 2020, emergency departments saw an average of 1.13 violent incidents per 1,000 visits. After the pandemic started, this number increased to 2.53 incidents per 1,000 visits, more than double what it was. Of these attacks on healthcare workers, 88% were by patients and their families.

Even before COVID-19, the U.S. faced a shortage of doctors, nurses, and support staff. Attacks on healthcare workers have led to more stress, burnout, and people leaving their jobs, which has made patient safety much worse. 

Since the pandemic, there has been a major shortage of healthcare workers. Because of this, hospitals have had to rely on travel nurses. This practice can get expensive and is not a sustainable solution for many hospitals in America. According to the 2024 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report, nursing staff turnover costs U.S. hospitals $9 million annually. 

Due to this shortage, the remaining healthcare staff is often spread thin. Having too many patients at once is often not recommended and certainly unsafe. It has led to more medication mistakes and worse patient outcomes. Hospitals are also facing more investigations and lawsuits as a result.

Training Solutions to Address Rising Violence in Hospitals

One solution is to provide situational awareness training and threat detection training for security and healthcare workers. Preventative training can reduce assault incidents and increase responsiveness, which will protect the safety of employees and patients. 

If hospital security professionals and healthcare workers learn to be aware of their surroundings, observe strange behaviors, and de-escalate bad situations, assault rates will naturally decline. The right training can improve morale, reduce staff turnover, save money, and, most importantly, save lives. Second Sight Training Systems offers three courses for healthcare workers and security professionals. 

  • Healthcare workers often juggle many tasks, including caring for patients, talking with families, working with their team, and handling new patients. In these busy environments, it is easy to lose track of what is happening around them and miss warning signs of potential threats. This can cause problems to escalate because they were not identified early enough.

    The Situational Awareness for Safety course from Second Sight Training Systems will help healthcare workers stay aware of their surroundings and recognize potential threats. This training teaches participants how to spot and handle dangerous situations before they escalate. It is available online and instructor-led.

    More than 93% of past trainees reported this course left them better prepared to observe any environment, look for threats, and take action to keep themselves and others safe.

  • Detecting unusual or suspicious behavior in real-time is crucial to a security professional's job. It is the first step in responding to potential threats. Second Sight Training Systems offers two courses to help improve threat detection: Threat Observation and Threat Awareness for Security Professionals.

    • Threat Observation is a 4-hour, online course that teaches security professionals how to spot active threats using research-based methods.

    • Threat Awareness for Security Professionals is an 8-hour course that builds on the Threat Observation course. Participants will learn how to use the Behavioral Baseline Instrument (BBI) to understand normal behavior, spot unusual behavior, and recognize potential threats.

    In a sample of healthcare security staff, 97% of Threat Awareness for Security Professionals program participants said they felt confident identifying people hiding weapons or carrying contraband. 100% felt confident in spotting someone who might be a threat to themselves or others. Additionally, 98% of trainees said their training helped them better use visual clues to identify suspicious people and gave them new tools to describe what they saw.

Taking Action and Next Steps

Assaults on healthcare workers put even more strain on the already stressed workforce in America's hospitals and clinics. Second Sight Training Systems is committed to improving everyone's safety, especially those providing critical care for our Nation. Find out if our courses are the right fit for you or your organization. Click the link below or contact us today.

Owen Metzger
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The Role of Training and Communication in Preventing Healthcare Violence
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Situational Awareness for Safety: Four Diverse Trainings in Western Massachusetts, June 2024