Workplace violence in emergency medicine: current knowledge and future directions. J Emerg Med 2012 Sep;43(3):523-31
Date
05/29/2012Pubmed ID
22633755DOI
10.1016/j.jemermed.2012.02.056Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84866097722 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 102 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Workplace violence (WPV) has increasingly become commonplace in the United States (US), and particularly in the health care setting. Assaults are the third leading cause of occupational injury-related deaths for all US workers. Among all health care settings, Emergency Departments (EDs) have been identified specifically as high-risk settings for WPV.
OBJECTIVE: This article reviews recent epidemiology and research on ED WPV and prevention; discusses practical actions and resources that ED providers and management can utilize to reduce WPV in their ED; and identifies areas for future research. A list of resources for the prevention of WPV is also provided.
DISCUSSION: ED staff faces substantially elevated risks of physical assaults compared to other health care settings. As with other forms of violence including elder abuse, child abuse, and domestic violence, WPV in the ED is a preventable public health problem that needs urgent and comprehensive attention. ED clinicians and ED leadership can: 1) obtain hospital commitment to reduce ED WPV; 2) obtain a work-site-specific analysis of their ED; 3) employ site-specific violence prevention interventions at the individual and institutional level; and 4) advocate for policies and programs that reduce risk for ED WPV.
CONCLUSION: Violence against ED health care workers is a real problem with significant implications to the victims, patients, and departments/institutions. ED WPV needs to be addressed urgently by stakeholders through continued research on effective interventions specific to Emergency Medicine. Coordination, cooperation, and active commitment to the development of such interventions are critical.
Author List
Kowalenko T, Cunningham R, Sachs CJ, Gore R, Barata IA, Gates D, Hargarten SW, Josephson EB, Kamat S, Kerr HD, McClain AAuthor
Stephen W. Hargarten MD, MPH Professor in the Emergency Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Emergency Service, HospitalHospital Design and Construction
Humans
Inservice Training
Organizational Policy
Security Measures
Violence
Workplace
