A Massachusetts emergency room nurse attacked by a patient is speaking out about violence in healthcare, according to an article on the Boston 25 News website.

It’s not the first attack the nurse has experienced. “We are just getting assaulted constantly to the point where so much of it doesn’t even get reported, because it’s happening so much right now,” he said. “We’re just human punching bags.”

While he says treating combative patients has always been part of an ER nurse’s job, he believes violent incidents have been increasing. He believes fewer mental health and addiction services because of the pandemic have led to an increase in struggling patients.

The nurse said there should be additional security and more information about violent patients before they arrive.

Successfully managing security operations for a healthcare organization is a  complex task, according to a Security InfoWatch article.

Hospitals can be microcosms of the communities which they serve. Whatever types of criminal activity are occurring on the streets, they are also likely occurring at the hospital.

Workplace violence rates for the healthcare and social service industries are four times the likelihood of suffering an injury due to workplace-related violence than all other industries combined. Predicting the level of guard forces in healthcare is not an easy task. Some methods tend to oversimplify the process. No single dimension dictates the level of staffing necessary. 

Read the full Boston 25 News article.