As Workplace Violence attacks in Healthcare are on the rise, a campaign with a tough image has just been started to show perpetrators that nurses know tolerating attacks is not in their Job description. The question is, will making attacks on healthcare professionals a felony, actually cure the problem?
In the video below, MTN news reports on the “My Nurse Wears Combat Boots” and the need for creating such an initiative.
“In the last four years, the incidents of workplace violence in health care has increased while overall workplace safety has been on the decline,”
Many incidents go unreported as a result of the training and mentality healthcare workers are exposed to, which requires that they should put patient safety above their own. Those interviewed described a culture of violence and threat that affects both female and male healthcare workers, while the organizers put forward the options for redress including reporting to their superiors and even bringing direct charges against assailants. As the law continues to move towards making attacks on healthcare workers a felony, the “My Nurse wears Combat Boots” campaign shows that there is a growing awareness that those in the front lines of patient healthcare delivery know their rights and their options for prosecuting assailants in the event of an attack.
GUARDIAN MPS THINKS:
These initiatives are an excellent way to create awareness and raise issues that are consistent problems in the Healthcare industry. We know only too well how delivery of care to patients, can go wrong and pose a very real and serious threat to the safety of the healthcare professional. We are particularly concerned with those that work in patient homes, in the community and away from cameras and co-workers. While it is true that increased consequences for would-be assailants can act as a deterrent from malicious behavior, there are also a great many cases where the perpetrator or assailant is perhaps not even acting rationally or with reason.
“…It is impossible to predict with absolute certainty which dialysis patients may become physically violent…..The patient who shot and seriously wounded a nurse at a dialysis unit in Kankakee, Illinois had no previous incidences of disruptive behavior.”
In short, the threat of felony proceedings will have little to no effect in cases like these or those perhaps where judgement is affected by intoxication, and alternative strategies must be considered. It is an old saying crossing many disciplines but in this case particularly applies to the safety of home healthcare professionals – “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” It is infinitely better to prevent a threatening situation from escalating or causing harm than seeking redress after a potentially brutal attack. GuardianMPS offers a sophisticated set of early warning and simple to operate alerting tools on the workers’ smartphones.
- PANIC BUTTON:At the earliest signs of escalation a panic button feature on the device will notify a trained central station and also nominated organization responders to the danger.
- GPS:The system maintains a record of all known GPS locations ensuring the nearest first responders are despatched if necessary and dramatically cutting the time taken to get assistance to the affected individual.
- AUTO ALARM:Should the assailant somehow manages to remove or destroy the phone, the “safety check” feature will create an automated alarm against a failed check-out.
GuardianMPS have over 15years experience in this market and it’s issues and we are exceptionally well placed to advise healthcare organizations on protecting their workers.
Talk to us today to discuss your workplace violence safety program and find out how we can offer real and comprehensive protection for even the most vulnerable and affected of your healthcare workers.