June 6, 2023 – Forty percent of healthcare workers have experienced some form of workplace violence in the last two years, according to a recent survey conducted by Premier and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
According to the survey, violence occurs most frequently among nursing staff at the hands of men between the ages of 35-65. More than half of all reported incidents were at the hands of combative patients. Respondents reported that the violent incidents occurred most frequently while “explaining or enforcing an organizational policy, or while providing an update on a patient’s condition to the patient or patient’s family members.” Over half of all respondents felt that violent incidents have increased during their tenure.
Survey respondents were also asked to rank the top contributing factors to acts of workplace violence. Here are the results:
- 27 percent of survey respondents ranked mental illness as the top factor.
- 24 percent of survey respondents indicated drugs and alcohol.
- 18 percent of survey respondents indicated other patient-related factors were contributing causes.
Premier is actively supporting legislation like the SAVE Act, which would give healthcare workers the same legal protections against assault and intimidation as aircraft and airport workers. This legislation would help to establish a federal grant program at the Department of Justice to augment the best efforts of hospitals to reduce violence by funding violence prevention training programs.