Article: Healthcare Providers Must Take Steps to Prevent Workplace Violence

-jt · Nov 23, 2003

thanks for a timely article.

A couple of months ago, our ED triage RN was attacked by a pt and saved by the paramedics hanging out in the ambulance bay. Hospital is resisting our demands for security guards in the area - cause its "not in the budget". So in other words, the RNs life isnt worth the money. The guard is stationed up the hall, past the doors, no security camera on the triage area, and he had no idea what was happening in the enclosed triage room.

Then an RN on our pysch unit was attacked by a pt --- and saved by other pts. Locked unit. No security. Hospital has not responded to our step 3 grievance.

And just this week, a nurse on one of our med-surg floors was held hostage by a pt who held a pair of scissors to her throat -- because, according to the NY Daily News story, he was unhappy with the hospital food. A police officer who happened to be visiting someone there negotiated with the pt for her release.

Hospital says this comes with the territory and we cant hold them responsible because no one has any way of knowing when a pt will go off the deep end. And they wonder why we dont want these jobs?? Just a couple of weeks ago, an RN was stabbed by a dialysis pt in a Bronx ED. Thats 2 attacks on nurses reported in our newspapers only a couple of weeks apart. Its a big issue here and has gone from our state nurses assoc all the way to the state capitol. It would be nice to get some response from the hospital.

donmurray · Nov 23, 2003

This has been an issue for some years now in the UK, perhaps this may be helpful;

http://www.nhs.uk/zerotolerance/intro.htm

-jt · Nov 24, 2003

Interesting info. Thanks for posting that. Heres whats happening in NY:

For Immediate Press Release

The New York State Nurses Association

Contact: Mark Genovese: 518.782.9400, ext. 353

[email protected]

Hospital workplace is too violent, say nurses

When will administrators listen?

NEW YORK, Nov. 24, 2003 - Horrifying attacks on New York-area Registered Nurses in this past month have prompted the state's leading nurses union to issue an urgent call for better protections against workplace violence.

"RNs have been warning hospital administrators for some time that the health care workplace is dangerous," said Lorraine Seidel, director of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) Economic & General Welfare Program. "What will it take before someone will listen?"

Recent attacks include:

* An RN at Montefiore Medical Center's Einstein Division in the Bronx was nearly choked by a patient on November 20.

* An emergency room nurse at Montefiore's Moses Division was stabbed in the arm by a patient on November 2.

* A nurse at Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn was held captive for 30 minutes by a patient who held scissors to her throat on November 19. Two other RNs and a nurses' aide have also been attacked there within the past few months.

* A Registered Nurse at Mount Vernon Hospital in Westchester County was dragged around the emergency room by a disturbed patient and nearly choked to death on November 14.

Unfortunately, workplace violence against Registered Nurses is all too common. For every attack that makes the news, there are many more that are not reported.

"NYSNA has been hearing more and more often from our members about violent incidents," Seidel said, "so there's been a need to get a solid account of the extent of this problem." As a result, NYSNA has been conducting a statewide survey on workplace violence, asking RNs to document incidents of violence and threatening behaviors. (The results are being brought before the state legislature).

Nationwide, more than 400,000 nurses are subject to violent acts each year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. National studies have indicated that staff shortages are directly related to an increased risk of violence on a nursing unit. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, safety precautions are an important responsibility of the employer.

Insufficient staffing, overcrowding, and service cutbacks are causing patients to wait longer for care, and increasing stress as a result. Many facilities that handle patients with psychiatric difficulties lack the necessary security.

"These terrible events are evidence that hospitals cannot continue to force their employees to work under such conditions," Seidel said. "The need for better staffing and security has never been more urgent."

To complete the Workplace Violence Survey, go to

http://www.nysna.org/programs/practice/violence_survey.htm

NYSNA, with more than 34,000 members, is New York's largest union and professional association for Registered Nurses. NYSNA is the only organization that exclusively represents the interests of New York State's RNs, and is recognized nationwide as a trendsetter in improving RNs' wages and working conditions. NYSNA works to advance the nursing profession through collective bargaining and legislative activities, and fosters high standards of nursing education and practice. It is a constituent of the American Nurses Association and of the United American Nurses, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.

http://www.NYSNA.org

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oramar · Nov 24, 2003

Make another commerical why don't ya gov.? That is what I wrote Pa. govenor about threats to safety.

Geeg · Nov 25, 2003

I didn't read the article, but , why do RN's bear the responsibility for eliminating the violence. True, we are enablers for not speaking out about it. HOWEVER, I think that hospitals which hide billions of dollars of profits, can afford to hire more security and OWN this problem. Once again, they have used the "blame the victim" distraction strategy!