Staff safety

[ikimiwi]

Last year a nurse was assualted in the department. We were promised that security would be improved. No changes were made. Last night I was threatened with a knife. How are other emergency dept. staffed with security, and what other measures are used to protect the staff from violence? We have coded locks on the doors to dept, but people are always sneaking in, we have people walking in and out . We have one security guard, 2 on 3-11, and one on 11-7. Responsible for hospital security . We have multiple psyc patients,( the one that threatned me and assaulted the other nurse were not psyc pts) We have multiple gangs in our city, and shooting season is comming! I feel metal dectors and a cop by triage . I know in my heart the if the pt with the knife threatened a visitor or pt that we would be tighter than fort knox. I heard from one er in calif has a state police and a german shepard.........I think that is VERY reasonable. the other area ers have pretty much the same. we see about 36000 pts or so a year. So are we average in our security,? what do some of you have?

[flashpoint]

We have no security at all. Our ER doors are open 24 hours a day - not locked per facility policy. We have one nurse in the ER from 2230-0700. The ER nurse does carry a cordless phone and she (or he) can always push the cose button to get some quick attention from the floor if she needs to. We are a small rural hospital and no one had been seriously injured yet, but we have had multiple threats and a few close calls. I was getting into my car a few days ago and had a drunk who needed a ride home trying to get into my car. I always lock all my doors, so he was out of luck. He stood behind my car so I couldn't back out though...I just called 911 on my cell and leaned on my horn until the police showed up. We also had someone call and tell one of our nurses he was going to do something pretty awful to her, so one of the medics from the fire department came up and spent the night sleeping in our trauma room to protect her. It's too bad that we have to rely on outside resources instead of the hospital making attempts to ensure our safety.

[RNCENCCRNNREMTP]

We have actually had a shooting in my ER, man came in with gun and then shot by cops who showed up a very tense few minutes later. Years passed before we got a locked door but staff gives code out to families and friends who stop by to visit (over my loud and strenuous objections).

Our security can look but cannot touch so no worth much.

Policy mandates that we call security before cops (I do not obey, always call cops first).

ER is a scary place to work but I still love it.

[blue280]

we have the security base right in the lobby and all access to our ED is locked. Still I was attacked by a pt when the cops uncuffed her so she could get undressed and one of our PAs took a knife away from a homicidal pt with security waitnig outside! Its hard to be safe when there are soo many rules about pt confidentiality and pt rights. I agree, its going to take something serious happening before much changes.