If you are like me, you became a nurse with the goal of helping people through some of the toughest times in their lives. But like me, I am sure that you thought you would be able to go to work, do your job, and return home safely to family and loved ones.
In the July/August issue of the Journal of Nursing Administration,1 the Emergency Nurses Association published the results of a survey of nearly 3,500 emergency nurses and found that two out of three felt unsafe in their own department and a third were considering leaving the profession or specialty. More than half reported having been the victims of physical violence including being pushed, shoved, hit, kicked, bitten, and spit on. One in four reported this more than 20 times in past three years.
In August, I was interviewed by many local newspapers and radio stations about the study. I also joined Rita Anderson, an ENA member and advocate whose jaw was broken by a patient, on CNN. Most news agencies have published a reasonable account of the study and my remarks. On the other hand, several have discouragingly included a local emergency department's testimony that “it doesn't happen here,” “it's part of the job,” or “we have taken all the necessary steps.”
Finally, we are at a point where we have data on violence against nurses in the emergency department. The data speaks loudly and clearly about the magnitude of the problem.
Now it is time for action. These are action steps you can take to make your department safe:
1.Advocate for a violence prevention committee in your department that includes nurses and other health care professionals, hospital administration, security, and local law enforcement.
2.Advocate for training for all hospital staff on violence prevention and mitigation.
3.Check your hospital's policies to assure they have a violence prevention policy and enforce it. The policy should include early identification and mitigation of potentially violent situations, hostage situations, gang violence, and terrorism.
4.Support your fellow nurse who has been a victim of violence including in seeking treatment and taking the appropriate legal action against the perpetrators.
5.Write to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at www.osha.gov and demand that the voluntary guidelines on violence prevention become mandatory standards.
6.Check that your state has a law making it a felony to assault a health care worker.
7.Follow the advice in the Advocacy Packet on Workplace Violence on the ENA Web site, www.ena.org.
With the staggering number of assaults on nurses and the growing nursing shortage, we must take swift and aggressive action to make our workplace as safe as possible.
Reference
1. 1Gacki-Smith J, Juarez J, Altair M, Boyett L, Homeyer C, Robinson L, et al.Violence against nurses working in US emergency departments. J Nurse Adm. 2009;39:340–349.
William T. Briggs is President of the Emergency Nurses Association and Trauma Program Manager, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA.
Boston, MA
For correspondence, write: William T. Briggs, RN, MSN, CEN, FAEN, Trauma Service, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111
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