Julie Charnet: The very people charged with safeguarding the health of the public face an unsafe environment themselves. - NBCNewsTHINK
provided an action plan for violence reduction with input from employees and supervisors. De-escalation training, increased staffing and physical space were all considered, and Arnetz saw an immediate decline in the frequency of hostile situations after the plans were implemented.
“We found the units that had an intervention plan in place saw a lower rate of violence in just six months,” she reported. “Even years later, everyone had a significantly lower rate of violence-related injuries.” Like Arnetz, Smith has found that health care staff grossly underreport the amount of aggression they face. Both have heard that workers don’t want to stop to document a situation, even though it keeps administrators from having vital data to address weak spots in staffing needs and other risks.
Smith recommended that staff be allowed to mark on charts when patients have a history of hostility or impatience, even though managers and administrators can object to the so-called labeling. With these patients, having an extra staff member on standby could make a big difference. He also suggested that patients sign an agreement stating they will abide by the rules of the facility or will be referred elsewhere.