Reputation is Everything

“The healthcare industry leads all other sectors in the incidence of non-fatal workplace assaults,” according to the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA).   In 2013 healthcare workers reported 9,200 non-fatal workplace related to violence an amount representing more than 67% of injuries reported in all industries and professions.

The two biggest players in healthcare, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), have been sitting on the issue of violence against healthcare workers for years. Where does that leave us? Do we remain passive and suffer assaults or do we fight for our legal right to have a safe working environment?

If you have been a victim of abuse while taking care of your patient, with no one protecting you or standing up to defend you after the assault, and you are punished for rejecting the notion that assault is simply part of your job, what do you do?

We as healthcare workers dedicate our lives to taking care of, and providing treatment to, patients. We can end up putting our own safety at risk from these patients, risking assault not just from the patient but family members or even friends. This has been happening for decades. So what is the problem?

A few key factors are in play.
Presently, healthcare workers are under-reporting incidents of violence. Perhaps partly because of the notion that part of our job is to be a victim; to tolerate abuse and assault. After all, very seldom do either administration officials or risk managers follow through with assisting healthcare workers after an assault, so why bother doing anything?

But here’s the other thing: The principal reason for an institution’s lack of action is its fierce desire to avoid a negative image in the eyes of their community. These institutions, and the officials who run them, don’t want to the community to know that patients come to the hospital and abuse or injure staff. It is a dirty secret; a climate of “let’s not discuss the nurse who was assaulted; she got really hurt, now needs surgery, and may never work again.”

But I ask: why does it continue to be a secret? Why aren’t we screaming from the rooftops about the epidemic of assaults and why do we let it go, and go on, without taking action?

Just recently I received an email describing an assault whereby a nurse was brutally raped by members of the hospital staff. This is significant not only because of the sheer horror of the event, but because police are unable to glean any information on this case. Why? Because the nurse hasn’t reported the rape, and her family hasn’t lodged a complaint. Newspaper reports describe how the victim was given treatment in secret, and the entire incident was concealed so that the name of the institution would not be tarnished.

In a recent study of 3,465 of its members, the ENA found that more than 50% of the respondents had experienced physical violence during the prior year and 70% had experienced verbal abuse.

Are we as healthcare workers ready - and able - to adequately protect, manage and treat these patients without assistance from the institution?

To healthcare officials everywhere: open your eyes and pay attention to what is happening in your institution.

Beyond bureaucratic support is the dire need for legislative change. Thirty-three states have made assault on healthcare workers a felony; although, sadly, my own state of residence, Massachusetts, is not one of them.

These factors are just the tip of the iceberg. Changing the law and changing a facility’s way of thinking are the end-all solutions, but they are a solid start. There are many more steps that need to be taken before we can succeed in decreasing the number and frequency of assaults. 

Our need to protect ourselves and each other is critical. Is your institution concealing assaults in order to protect its reputation? What would it mean if you were a victim of assault and could never work again? Think about it.

Sheila Wilson R.N.BSN MPH
President, Stop Healthcare Violence
www.stophealthcareviolence.org