Violence at the workplace

Workplace violence can be defined as an incident in which employees are attacked, abused, threatened, or subjected to hostile behavior while performing their duties. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, workplace violence includes all “”violent acts,“” such as threats of attack or physical assault directed at a worker. Aggression develops in both physical and psychological problems and is widespread in various workplaces regardless of the industry. Yet, it is highly prevalent in the healthcare system, as practitioners endure significant pressure from ill patients, anxious families, and overworked health care facilities. In that regard, physical assault can be described as the act of intentionally causing harm to another individual. It mainly leads to fear, particularly from the victimized person. Whether the crime results in physical harm or fear, it is punishable and is still regarded as physical assault. Therefore, this paper will focus on physical attacks at the healthcare facilities, the extent of the issue, and the effects.

Magnitude of the Issue

According to a 2014 study conducted by the American Nurses Association’s Health Risk Appraisal, out of the 3,765 nursing students and registered nurses interviewed, 21% stated that they had experienced physical assault with more than 50% reporting verbal assault within a year (Occupational Safety and Health, 2015). It is a worrying statistic illustrating that more than half of the healthcare practitioners are attacked thereby subjecting them various kinds of stress. Similarly, nurses in the emergency department also experience physical assault as illustrated by the Emergency Nurses Association survey. According to this body, out of 7,169 nurses interviewed, 12% reported to have experienced physical assault between 2009 and 2011 with another 59% experiencing verbal assault. A 2002 survey of the Veterans Health Administration hospitals also illustrated similar findings i.e. out of 72,349 employees in 142 facilities, 13% were assaulted that year.

The nurses and other medical personnel undergo a lot of traumatizing experiences as far as the provision of healthcare is concerned. The physical abuse directed to the medical staff does not only come from the qualified people in the health sector but also from the patients as well. Although the nurses, doctors and other medical professionals play a significant role in the healing process of patients, the physical assault directed to them is disgraceful and derails their morale towards work (Jacobson, 2014). Whereas the medical practitioners especially the patients play an integral role, they are at the end of physical assault with the least expected group of people such as the visitors and intruders being the perpetrators of the physical aggression. The physical abuse is attributable to different factors such as a shooter gang escapade or even a family misunderstanding that spreads to the workplace hence causing distraught to some given medical personnel (Occupational Safety and Health, 2015).

According to research, the workers in the medical field are susceptible to physical assault as compared to workers in other sectors such as the construction, manufacturing or the retail and business areas of operation. The research statistics reflect the number of employees who require days away from workplace environment so as to permit a sound healing process to the workers. Moreover, the healthcare sector posted a larger number of cases involving the physical assault on the workers as compared to other areas sectors of the economy. Also, the number of physical assault cases resulting from outside the workplace environment is less as compared to the cases emanating from the workplace.

The research highlights that the healthcare sector is leading about physical the assault at 7.8 cases for every 10000 active personnel. Moreover, the analysis reveals that the nurses are the most affected group of people with regards to workplace violence (Jacobson, 2014). While most cases of physical abuse are readily identifiable, the assault incidences in the healthcare prove to be a different case since the workers are unable to distinctly determine the motive and the nature of the patients about harassing the medical practitioners. Besides, the physical assault directed towards the health professionals account for more than seventy percent of the entire attacks experienced in the healthcare workplace environment (Occupational Safety and Health, 2015). However, placing little effort on stopping the instances causing the physical assault on the medical staff. The belief that violence is part of the medical practitioners’ job serves as hindering factor towards tailoring of adequate measures that permit sound working culture for the health professionals. The Although the physical assault trend is inconsistent, the degree of variation is minimal.

Characteristics of physical aggression and the risk factors

Physical harassment in the healthcare sector takes several forms leaving the medical personnel especially the nurses dealing with the effects as a result of the assault. Although there is little reporting of the several cases of physical violence in the workplace, they are characterized by absurd kicks, hitting, scratching, slapping, pushing, pinching, threatening and bitten by at a surprising regularity (Editors of the Workplace Violence in Healthcare , 2015). The psychiatric, outpatient and the emergency units are the most active areas where the assault on the nurses and the doctors is prevalent. The physical harassment directed to the medical personnel has the detrimental effect to the health of the healthcare providers since it is a source of stress and psychological ill-health.

The physical harassment experienced in the healthcare has several adverse effects that underline the risk factors surrounding the health profession. The practice of physically abusing the nurses and the doctors have several risk factors that impact negatively to then day to day activities of the healthcare. The risk factors affect the offenders, the coworkers as well as the workplace environment and culture. Physical assault is attributable to the use of drugs among the medical practitioners as well as violence nature of some healthcare staff (Occupational Safety and Health, 2015). Moreover, the tendency for waiting for long hours before getting services is a risk factor attributable to the physical abuse of the healthcare personnel. Waiting for rather more extended hours is as a result of lack of adequate motivation of the nurses since the physical assault derails their morale towards work. Also, the physical assault directed at the nurses and other medical personnel poses a risk of the provision of inferior services to the patients as the practitioners are bound to work with little or no motivation (Al-Turki, 2016).

The effects and reporting procedures for physical assault.

The physical abuse in the healthcare shows no sign of coming to an end anytime soon. The prospect that physical assault is part of the medical work ethics has underlined the basis of the problems facing the healthcare sector. The majority of the nurses and other medical personnel have endured a tough time about getting justice as far as physical assault is concerned. The process of getting justice is tedious and does not guarantee a remedy. Moreover, the police and other law enforcement agencies perceive the physical abuse directed to the nurses and the medics as petty and lacking validity required to be considered as a violence case (Al-Turki, 2016).

The police believe that bigger issues deserve legislation as compared to the physical assault issues facing the healthcare personnel. Consequently, the related results due to the physical assault issues have led to the belief that no one cares about the well-being of the health practitioners as far as physical harassment is concerned (Jacobson, 2014). Similarly, the physical assault has resulted to a tendency of providing a cold reception to patients and other visitors who visit healthcare facilities. On the other hand, the physical assault has led to the development of training program that aims at reducing the rate of physical abuse on the medics. However, the continued loss of lawsuits has prompted the nurses and other healthcare personnel to stop filing cases concerning physical assault. Since the hospital is a high stress working place, adequate measures for ensuring the provision of assistance to the patients and other visitors efficiently.

The assaulted victims can report the ordeals facing them by informing the management of the healthcare so as to permit an internal mechanism for controlling instances of the abuse and provision of a suitable remedy. In the event, the management fails to come up with an appropriate solution for combating the situation, the nurse or medical personnel should consider filing the issue with an external body charged with the responsibility of taking care of the medical practitioners (Occupational Safety and Health, 2015). The exterior body serves as a basis for ensuring adequate remedy and justice is provided to the injured party. The aggrieved person should file the issue with the law courts in the event both the internal management and the external body charged with the responsibility of ensuring the maintenance of the safety and welfare of the medical professionals fail to bring forth proper remedies. The law courts should be the last resort in the search for justice with regards to the physical assault directed towards the health practitioners.

Potential intervention/ strategies for prevention and control of the physical assault.

The physical assault issue among the healthcare personnel is detrimental to their motivation and work ethics. As a result, adequate measures should be adopted to ensure a reduction in the instances of physical assault to the lowest level possible. Although several government bodies do not carry out research with regards to the cases of physical assault facing the medical personnel, development of comprehensive programs is essential. Training sessions are relevant to the nurses and the doctors as far as physical assault is concerned (Al-Turki, 2016). The training sessions will provide a platform upon which healthcare practitioners will quickly identify the assaulters with ease. Moreover, the training sessions will ensure medical professionals have a way of dealing with patients and intruders who have an intention of harassing them.

The police and other law enforcement agencies should be advised of treating cases involving assault to the medical practitioners with a lot of seriousness instead of purporting that it’s a minor issue. Healthcare centers should adopt an administrative control that will play a significant role in guiding the operations of a given health center. Moreover, there should be an adequate training session for the nurses on the importance of reporting the patient violence cases. Reporting the patient violence events play a significant role in predicting the probability of an experiencing a strong case (Editors of the Workplace Violence in Healthcare , 2015). Besides, the management of the healthcare should conduct a hazard test so as to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the existing patient’s violence control program. Therefore, the risk test will serve as an important basis for determining the areas that require improvements as well as complete overhaul.

The Federal, State role and collaborating community services

The federal and the state governments play important roles in the formulation and implementation of broader goals about physical assault management. Both the state and the federal bodies are charged with the responsibility of evaluating the likely causes of the continued physical abuse of the medical personnel by the patients. As a result, it is the role of the state to ensure the healthcare centers have adequate resources to ease handling of patients with a tendency of assaulting the medics (Al-Turki, 2016). Moreover, it is the role of the government to establish appropriate mechanisms for ensuring the management is committed to guaranteeing adequate implementation of the program for protecting the nurses and the doctors against physical assault. The community should provide the medical practitioners had the necessary and required information with regards to the history of the patient so as to ensure the health professionals are aware of the probable events in the process of handling the patient.

In conclusion, physical assault is detrimental to the health professionals’ motivation to work. Besides, cases of physical abuse are predominant among the health practitioners. Although there are varied causes of physical harassment, assault resulting from the patients have taken center stage. To ensure the protection of the nurses and other health professionals from instances of physical assault, the management, the community, the health professionals’ body and both the federal and state agencies should work hand in hand to permit the success of protecting the doctors and nurses against harassment.

References

Al-Turki, N. A. (2016). Violence against health workers in Family Medicine Centers. Journal of Multidisplinary Healthcare, 257-266.

Editors of the Workplace Violence in Healthcare . (2015, December 14). Understanding the Challenge. Retrieved from Workplace Violence in Healthcare: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3826.pdf

Jacobson, R. (2014). Epidemic of Violence against Health Care Workers Plagues Hospitals. Scientific American Journal , 1-4.

Occupational Safety and Health. (2015). Workplace Violence in Healthcare. 1-4. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3826.pdf