More People are Concerned About Hospital Safety than Ever Before

A survey by Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX) found that nearly three in five Americas (60 percent) are concerned about the safety and security of loved ones in a hospital or medical facility. With incidents of workplace violence in hospitals and other healthcare facilities on the rise, the survey also reveals that about 70 percent of respondents believe that if nurses felt safer, they might not be leaving the profession in large numbers, and 88 percent say individuals in a hospital or medical facility should feel as safe there as they do in airports and on airplanes.  

Additional takeaways: 

• 58 percent of respondents are worried about nurses and other clinicians being harmed while on hospital property. 
• 66 percent of respondents agree nurses and other frontline healthcare workers are more likely than those in other professions to be victims of workplace violence, and 69 percent agree safety is a cause of nurses leaving the profession in large numbers.  
• More than one-half of respondents say burnout from the past few years contributes to healthcare labor shortages. 
• About 88 percent of respondents say keeping track of every hospital visitor is essential to safety. 
• 82 percent of respondents believe that more state and federal action should be taken to keep healthcare workers safe. 
• Three in four respondents say hospitals have an opportunity to improve the safety and security of their facilities. 
• 63 percent of respondents are concerned about someone unauthorized walking the halls of a hospital, and 40 percent of respondents don’t feel safe entering a hospital or other medical facility.