By Jeff Wardon, Jr., Assistant Editor

Workplace violence is a common and persistent issue that healthcare facilities have to deal with. A report from the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) found that 82 percent of organizations are at high risk of an unsafe work environment, with 64 percent of respondents saying that their organization doesn’t provide regular de-escalation training. This is especially troubling as 55 percent believe that their workplace violence prevention policies are either somewhat effective or not effective at all in reducing harm.  

Given this, creating a governing body to set forth policies and procedures is vital to curbing workplace violence. However, almost 70 percent of organizations don’t have a workplace violence committee with defined policies and governance put in place, according to the report. 

Related: Safety Initiatives Sees Drop in Workplace Violence

While these statistics paint a troubling reality for healthcare facilities, the situation does have solutions, with one being a reporting system. 

One healthcare facility aimed to improve the reporting of workplace violence in emergency departments, according to a study from the Journal of Emergency Nursing. By introducing a multi-interventional approach, including an electronic reporting tool accessible via quick-response (QR) codes placed on flyers and name badges, the project aimed to reduce barriers to nurse reporting. Over two months, the tool led to a 1,080 percent increase in reporting, with most incidents involving registered nurses. 

Similarly, the Cleveland Clinic found success by implementing a system to flag patients with a violent history. The approach caused a decrease in workplace violence reports and an increase in staff seeking help for dealing with challenging behaviors. This study also recommended organizations get experts trained in trauma-informed and equitable care involved to develop similar systems.  

Jeff Wardon, Jr., is the assistant editor for the facilities market.