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NURSING ARTICLE OSHA RESOURCES ON HEALTHCARE VIOLENCE

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. Although health professionals consider many factors when identifying violent acts, a universal definition of "violence" has not yet been created. For example, definitions may encompass acts such as threats, verbal abuse, and physical assaults (e.g., spitting, kicking, and punching), and they may come from patients, visitors, family members, or fellow staff members. Witnessing and experiencing the bullying, threats, and physical violence of health care workers by patients, families, others, and themselves is a serious threat to nurses today. Such violence must be prevented now. A comprehensive, evidence-based violence prevention program is required by law to protect health care workers. It is everyone's responsibility to implement such a program to keep our healthcare workers safe. This examination of workplace violence (WPV) in healthcare and health social care assumes that violence is a form of harm experienced by people who use healthcare services, their caregivers, and staff. The abusive practice of inflicting physical or emotional injury on one person by another is a significant problem today; some statistics indicate that it affects up to 10% of workers in certain occupations.

Healthcare and social service workers experience the highest rate of workplace violence than any other occupational group. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost to the economy due to workplace violence is billions of dollars annually. Healthcare and social service workers experience the highest rate of workplace violence than any other occupational group. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost to the economy due to workplace violence is billions of dollars annually.

Healthcare and social service workers are at risk for violence for many reasons. Patients trust healthcare workers, who often deliver bad news, cause pain or invade physical space. Aggression may be a symptom of the illness itself and can stem from such sources as mental illness, alcohol/drug abuse, dementia, and head injury. Verbal and physical aggression sometimes stems from patients' anger and frustration about their illness, loss of control over their lives, loss of self-esteem, death of loved ones, grief, loss of independence, and dependency on others.

The Violence Prevention in Health Care Facilities Act is a massive step in the right direction and will help ensure the safety of health care workers in facilities across the country. This legislation addresses recent attacks on health care workers and makes a big move towards identifying severe and dangerous events that occur daily in health care settings. Here at American Nursing Association (ANA), we are very excited to see Congress partner with us to protect health care workers and consumers—something we have fought to achieve for years.

Violence in healthcare settings is a serious problem that needs to be addressed immediately. Many believe it is an inevitable part of working in the industry and working through it. With more than 20 healthcare workers being assaulted every day in the US, this cannot be the answer. Conditions must be made safer at our healthcare facilities, and OSHA has taken steps to create guidelines for preventing such incidents. This toolkit, developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), is based on the findings of a survey of violence prevention programs currently in place at health care facilities. It consists of 10 modules that address planning, training and drills, staff safety committees, de-escalation techniques, and post-incident analyses. The modules also focus on specific workplace settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, and social service offices.

REFERENCES

Asuquo, E. G., Tighe, S. M., & Bradshaw, C. (2021). Interventions to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders among healthcare staff in nursing homes; An integrative literature review. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, 3, 100033.

Booker, S. Q., Herr, K. A., & Horgas, A. L. (2021). A paradigm shift for movement-based pain assessment in older adults: Practice, policy and regulatory drivers. Pain Management Nursing, 22(1), 21-27.

Porche, D. J. (2021). Health policy: Application for nurses and other healthcare professionals. Jones & Bartlett Learning.