COVID-19 has changed many aspects of hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Unfortunately, the issue of workplace violence is not one of them. The potential for violence remains in these facilities. Now, the Joint Commission is proposing changes to address the problem.

The Joint Commission has proposed new and revised standards for workplace violence prevention in hospitals and critical access hospital accreditation programs.

“The new and revised Joint Commission standards provide a framework to guide hospitals in developing strong workplace violence prevention systems,” according to Campus Safety. “The standards address defining workplace violence and developing a leadership structure, policies and procedures, reporting systems, post-incident strategies, training, and education to decrease workplace violence.”

The standards call for hospitals to have a workplace violence prevention program led by a designated individual but developed by a multidisciplinary team. Hospitals would have to provide training, education and resources for the prevention of workplace violence to leadership, staff, and licensed practitioners “as appropriate to their roles and responsibilities.”

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