Q My organization is very focused on patient safety, but I'm concerned about the safety of our staff. How can I help encourage personal safety?
Employees encounter many safety situations in the healthcare environment. Keeping our workforce safe, as well as keeping our patients safe, should be on the top of our priority list, such as avoiding workplace injuries and preventing employees from feeling unsafe at work. When employees are injured on the job, they not only experience the loss of wages, but the organization also incurs a high cost, including lost productive time, temporary or permanent replacement of the employee, and worker's compensation/insurance claims. The fear of not being safe at work increases stress and contributes to lowered morale, impacting organizational productivity as demonstrated by increased call-ins and staff turnover. Let's talk about the pressing situation of employees encountering aggression and what you can do to increase their safety.
According to the World Health Organization, between 8% and 38% of healthcare providers report experiencing some form of physical violence in the workplace.1 The rate is even higher when considering verbal aggression from patients and their families. Provide staff education about situational awareness and how to de-escalate situations before they can't be controlled. The Joint Commission has tips for identifying and de-escalating potentially aggressive situations.2 There are several models that can be used, but the common thread is communication. Teach your staff member to speak calmly and clearly. For example, older patients may have difficulty hearing and trying to decipher what someone in saying through a mask, which can cause them to become agitated. Another method is to approach patients/families in a nonthreatening manner. Hasty movements may be startling and cause individuals to react defensively, so prompt staff members to move in slower and deliberate ways. Addressing patient/family needs as soon as possible also aids in de-escalation. Finally, keeping the environment calm by dimming lights, lowering noise, and using aromatherapy (if available at your facility) can be helpful.
If employees are unable to de-escalate the situation and the patient or family member is aggressive verbally or physically, it's important to communicate this to other healthcare providers, such as reporting aggressive patients and their location during unit or organization-wide safety huddles. My organization also posts a universal sign outside the patient's door so other disciplines entering the room will know there's been an act of aggression. This keeps everyone informed about the risks and precautions to take when entering the area.
There are helpful resources available for you to keep your employees safe. The CDC offers an education module that addresses workplace violence prevention for nurses that you can share with your staff.3 Another excellent resource is from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, with case studies and successful strategies.4
Aggressive patients and families are only one threat to employee safety-there will always be areas that need to be addressed to keep staff safe. Assess for trends on your unit to determine which safety concern you need to tackle first.
REFERENCES