Hospital Workplace Violence: How To Address Rising Concerns

In November 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memo addressing workplace violence in hospitals. The memo insisted healthcare facilities increase their efforts to protect staff and patients from violence to remain in compliance with the Medicare Hospital Conditions of Participation (CoPs). In response, hospitals are more eager than ever to find solutions to this growing problem.

CMS concerns

Healthcare workers accounted for 73 percent of all nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses due to violence, as reported in April 2020. These numbers have been steadily rising for a decade, contributing to an already stressful and overwhelming environment for hospital staff. Healthcare workers generally don’t have a choice to avoid involvement with people who might be under the influence or have a history of aggressive or violent behavior, which means it’s up to hospitals to ensure protections are in place for their employees.

Besides violence against employees, the CMS also cited a lack of training for handling hostile patients, referring to stories of patients who died due to hospital staff being ill-equipped to de-escalate and safely restrain them. By not providing employee training on how to respond, hospitals violate §482.13(c)(2), the CoP mandating patients receive care in a location considered reasonably safe, and §482.15(a), which requires having strategies to deal with possible emergencies, including persons at risk.

To remain in compliance and continue participation in Medicare and Medicaid, hospitals must take steps to ensure all patients and staff are reasonably safe and employees are trained on how to respond to violence within the facility.

Security measures

One way to guarantee compliance with §482.13(c)(2) is to have updated, holistic security measures. Weapons screening and video analytics can help identify outside threats proactively. Access control and biometric security can help secure employee-only locations within the hospital. Video surveillance can be used to keep an eye on patients and staff to make sure violent incidents are spotted before they escalate. These aren’t the only useful security features, but they’re a good starting point.

Addressing workplace violence

Safeguarding physical security is important, but it’s not a perfect solution. Even if you catch a patient acting violently toward the staff before anyone can get hurt, how do you safely prevent the patient from hurting anyone else without causing them significant harm? Moreover, how do you monitor potential risks so this type of event doesn’t happen in the first place?

Patient risk assessments should be the first step. Documenting potential danger so employees are informed before they get involved means reasonable precautions can be taken. Meanwhile, emergency action plans not only are mandated by §482.15(a) but also provide a level of training and preparation to equip staff for responding safely to internal and external threats.

With CMS actively calling for an improvement in hospital safety, now is the time to consider security improvements in your healthcare facility. Reducing the number of weapons and potential threats is vital for protecting both patients and staff. Policies must also be established to support these new systems. Training employees on how to respond to emergencies and having plans in place in the event of an emergency not only are necessary for compliance, but also can position everyone to avoid needless harm.

To learn more about integrated security and life safety solutions for your healthcare facility, visit trlsystems.com.