Violence Against Emergency Department Health Care Workers and the Effect of Wisconsin Act 209. WMJ 2025;124(5):438-444
Date
01/07/2026Pubmed ID
41499613Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105026963815 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
BACKGROUND: Health care settings are not immune to workplace violence, and emergency department workers are especially susceptible. In 2021, Wisconsin Act 209 made it a felony to "intentionally cause bodily harm or threaten to cause bodily harm to a person who works in a health care facility." We conducted a study of emergency department workers to assess their experiences with violence and the perceived effects of Act 209.
METHODS: We developed a survey for health care workers (nurses, physicians, and advanced practice providers) who were currently practicing in a Wisconsin emergency department. The reporting timeframe was March 23, 2022, through June 30, 2023.
RESULTS: A total of 194 Wisconsin emergency department workers responded; 70.6% reported experiencing bodily harm, threats of bodily harm, or both. The median number of bodily harm incidents was 2, and 51.4% did not report these incidents. The median number of threats reported was 4, and 66.7% did not report them. Nurses experienced more threats of bodily harm than physicians. Overall, 40.2% of respondents were unaware of Act 209, and 67.6% indicated that abuse toward health care workers occurred at the same rate after its enactment as before. The most frequent barrier to reporting was "Person has a medical condition that might complicate application of the law."
DISCUSSION: Most workers reported experiencing bodily harm or threats, and most did not report these incidents. Beyond clinical factors and time constraints, limited law enforcement bandwidth and perceptions of law enforcement as obstructive were the next most cited barriers. Only 1.2% of respondents reported feeling "definitely safer" after Act 209.
CONCLUSIONS: Violence against health care workers has become an expected consequence of working in the field. Legislative action is one tool to attempt to curb this trend. Further efforts to identify strategies that ensure the safety and wellness of health care workers should be a priority.
Author List
Nickel L, Sell C, Hiller M, Derse A, Jacobson N, Torkilsen C, Aranda J, Burmeister B, Chinn MAuthors
Bradley R. Burmeister MD Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Medical School Regional Campus Green Bay department at Medical College of WisconsinMatthew Chinn MD Associate Professor in the Emergency Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Arthur R. Derse JD, MD Director, Professor in the Institute for Health and Humanity department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Nancy Jacobson MD Associate Professor in the Emergency Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Lauren B. Nickel Research Scientist I in the Emergency Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultEmergency Service, Hospital
Female
Health Personnel
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Surveys and Questionnaires
Wisconsin
Workplace Violence
