Medical Workplace Safety is a Growing Concern
Sixty-four percent of clinicians have felt physically unsafe at work, according to a May 2023 poll of 4,818 clinicians. The figure is higher yet for women (76%) and clinicians under 40 (69%).
Nearly 75% of the 25,000 annual U.S. workplace assaults occur in healthcare settings, and rates of threats and attacks have increased dramatically over the last decade. In the U.S., injuries caused by violent attacks against medical professionals grew by 67% from 2011 to 2018. The WHO estimates that up to 38% of health workers experience physical violence during their careers, and many more are threatened with verbal aggression.
EM (Emergency) physicians reported feeling most unsafe at work: Nearly 30% of EM physicians reported feeling physically unsafe at work “often,” and 64% responded feeling physically unsafe at work “on occasion.” Violent incidents in EDs doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have remained elevated since. In a study with over 170 ED directors, 32% of respondents reported at least one verbal threat per day, and 18% noted that weapons were displayed in a threatening manner at least once per month. These are high-anxiety locations and patients often feel helpless and attacked by feelings of anxiety and hopelessness, whereby they attack. They act out their feelings of losing control.
This is a troubling fact in light of a hospital should be a caring and supportive environment. Some patients may react to an uncaring caregiver and respond inappropriately.
Within the healthcare and social assistance sectors, workplace violence was responsible for 13% of work absences. In addition, financial losses for healthcare institutions have been estimated to be as high as $107,000 for a single incident.
Violence and abusive behavior are frequent in all segments of society and employment. In addition to training personnel in how to de-escalate these situations, employers (hospitals) must provide security for employees, especially in high-risk. areas. (Emergency Departments)
Dr. Aletha Maybank joined the American Medical Association as its first chief health equity officer in 2019, determined to fight racial disparities in medicine. But by the fall of 2021, these equity initiatives were facing growing pushback from pundits, think-tank researchers, and doctors — both liberal and conservative — who contended that the medical organization had overstepped its mission of supporting health care professionals and was now embracing a “woke” ideology. And out of public view, that backlash was turning vicious — particularly for Maybank.
Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative, and Concepts