Healthcare Security Professionals Lead Violence Response Efforts

April is Workplace Violence Prevention Month:
Healthcare Security Professionals Lead Violence Response Efforts

By Brendan Riley, MS, CHPA

April is Workplace Violence Prevention Month, and it’s a great opportunity for everyone working in the insanely busy world of healthcare to pause for a moment to reflect on what is perhaps the most important issue facing all of us during the uncertain times ahead. The reality is healthcare workers are more likely to be subjected to workplace violence than any other industry.¹ The impacts of the ongoing pandemic include a significant lack of access to mental health care, a rise in the incidence of substance use disorder and chronic alcohol use, extreme staffing shortages and professionals, especially Nurses, leaving the healthcare industry at record rates ², and a sharp increase in workplace incivility and bullying. The magnitude of violence in healthcare has already reached all-time high proportions ³as we prepare to navigate through the continued uncertainty of simultaneous public health, economic and employment crises, as well as global unrest and the impacts of war. With tremendous challenges ahead, there is an incredible opportunity for healthcare security professionals to step up and lead the way for everyone on the journey towards more effective prevention efforts and responses to violence.

1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. April 2020
https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/workplace-violence-healthcare-2018.htm

2. McKinsey & Company. May 2021, and Nursing Solutions Inc. 2022 National Healthcare Retention and RN Staffing Report
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/nursing-in-2021-retaining-the-healthcare-workforce-when-we-need-it-most#:~:text=Of%20the%2022%20percent%20of%20nurses%20surveyed%20who%20indicated%20that
,or%20leave%20the%20workforce%20entirely.
https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf

3. IHASS Foundation 2021 Healthcare Crime Survey
https://iahssf.org/assets/2021-IAHSS-Foundation-Crime-Survey52401-1.pdf