Q's;--Patient Attacks on Nurses

brownbook · Apr 11, 2018

I worked 21 years acute care, smallish county hospital with an ER and locked psych facility. My husband was a psychiatric social worker. Neither he nor I have ever heard of any attacks against a nurse in any department, and we would have.

I am sure you can find horror stories about patients attacking nurses. Statistically how likely is it to happen to you??????

You can read horror stories about car wrecks, how likely are you to get injured or killed in a car wreck?

You can read horror stories about spouses killing each other, how likely is your spouse to kill you?

You can read horror stories about ANY horrible, sad, tragic, way people get killed or injured.

I was listening to a call in doctor talk show. The caller was discussing some new, valid, scientific, test that analyses proteins in your blood and gives your chronological age. The caller was very proud that he was 69, and the test showed he was 45. The doctors first said there was an at least plus minus 5 year range on this. And people have to be careful with statistics, referring to the data used in the protein studies. He joked that a group of statisticians drowned in a river that had a "mean" of 4 feet.

Statistically when, where, how, if, you are going to ever be injured or killed under any circumstances......no one knows.

smf0903 · Apr 11, 2018

Our facility is big on employee safety. We have had people arrested right out of the ED for that type of behavior. We've also called the cops on and they've come in for inpatients when we've had issues that we couldn't resolve.

I know some patients have been charged. I couldn't give you a number or percentage, but I know it happens at our facility.

JoRose1 · Apr 11, 2018

Yes you are indeed right! I need to remind myself to put it in perspective, not worry about something that "might" or "could" happen. Interesting perspective--thanks!

bugya90, ASN, BSN, LVN, RN · Apr 11, 2018

In many states attacking a nurse is a felony (assault on a healthcare worker). So yes if it were a true attack then the patient could be charged, however just like for the general public if the attacker has a mental health condition that chances of charges sticking are low.

When a patient starts yelling or threatening the nurse, that is the time to call security. Before the attack, not during or after. It is better to be proactive than reactive.

I was punched by a demented patient when I worked LTC. I never even though if pressing charges because I knew it was the patients mental illness. However his physician was called and medications were adjusted along with orders for some PRN meds.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Apr 11, 2018

Hi all, I am new to allnurses-so, hoping I post this in the correct spot. New to this profession. I have anxiety over the risk of physical assault (witnessed some stuff--heard some horror stories) & I am wondering, if a patient attacks a nurse in some way (for example- throwing something at her, or smacking her), can the patient be charged with assault? Can the nurse file charges (whether thru the police or a civil case)-do you call the police right when it happens, etc.? I have been reading about this online, and many articles seem to say something along the lines of "well the patient was never ultimately charged" or 'they had a mental illness, so no charges were brought". Not all of course, but it sounds like many patients are never charged for assaulting a nurse.
I am interested in others opinions on this matter, i have a pit in my stomach thinking someone can get away with hurting someone else simply because they are a patient (as if "the customer is always right" applies in this situation).

If a patient is truly mentally ill or they have Alzheimer's or some other form of dementia, they should not be criminally charged. Surely you aren't suggesting they should be "punished"? These people live miserable lives for the most part-they aren't "getting away" with anything.

That is NOT to say that tactics are not employed to reduce the chance of their being violent or that employee safety is not a concern simply because a patient is not oriented and accountable.

I've been a nurse for 22 years and have never been assaulted, nor have I witnessed an assault. But I don't work in an area with patients with dementia. Even in my ICU days, patients were usually medicated to the degree that violence wasn't a major concern.

JoRose1 · Apr 11, 2018

I appreciate that comment! My post may have come off sounding like they 'should be punished.' No, if they have a true mental illness, dementia,etc.. I agree they deserve our empathy and respect and should not be punished for that what they cannot control. I guess my post was worded strange- sorry. Thanks for all the comments/responses back. It is good for me to reflect on my own thought processes and learn from others.

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Apr 11, 2018

Yes, nurses get assaulted every day. The odds of it happening to you are higher than ever before. Yes, the nurse should call the police and press charges. Many don't because of the hassle involved though. Yes, if the patient is mentally ill charges may not be brought, but it should always be reported to law. A patient at our facility was recently charged with attempted murder for an assault on a nurse. Deescalation and situational awareness are key skills that nurses should posses. Otherwise, you may defend yourself against an attack as any other person is allowed to do. You would not lose your license for defending yourself. High acuity areas such as ED and ICU are probably the highest risk areas by far, but floor nurses get assaulted too.

JoRose1 · Apr 11, 2018

Thanks for the response nurse2033. That brings up a good point. Maybe if more people reported incidents to the law, more awareness on this issue and procedures could be put in place to protect nurses, and other health care workers as well.