An article published in The New York Times on July 8, 2008 reported that, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, half of all nonfatal injuries resulting from workplace assaults occur in health care and social service settings.
Nurses and other personal care workers bear the brunt of such attacks, with 25 injuries annually resulting in days off from work for every 10,000 full-time workers — 12 times the rate of the overall private sector, according to the bureau. The most dangerous settings are psychiatric units and nursing homes, where patients are often confused, disoriented or suffering from mental ailments, as well as emergency rooms, where long waits for care can anger patients, and the people with them.
Click here to read the entire New York Times article.
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3 comments:
Workplace violence is not anything new for nurses who work in high acuity areas like emergency departments. When I worked in the ED I was threatened, kicked, spit on, punched , and verbally abused. All this with the presence of security. administration thinks they are protecting their nurses but they are not. Nurses are on the front line, literally. It is no wonder nurses are leaving hospitals in droves. I left and would not go back.
Barbara
i have encountered so many abuse from patients. especially on the neurology/neurosurgery unit. no backup from the administration, whatsoever. doing what you like to do is what kept me going when the road is tough.
This is a sensitive issue for me, and one that cost me my job. An instance of violence from an intoxicated patient was more than violence, it was an outright brawl. Support from nursing administration, NONE, they did not have the courtesy to even ask my side of the story. Luckily, the truth prevailed (after obtaining 12 separate statements verifying this). The Hospital finally reinstated me, only after posting my picture with security like Americas Most Wanted.
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