10/25/2024

Safety First:

How to ward off healthcare facility violence

Medical centers are intended as places for care and healing, but they are increasingly sites of violent incidents, some resulting in serious harm or even death. Healthcare violence can take a number of forms, depending on the perpetrator's motive, actions and whether the person is a patient, visitor, employee or bystander. In all cases, it’s a threat that should be minimized in every way possible, experts say.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) recently hosted a webinar about what hospitals and practices need to know to protect themselves, staff members and patients. "Understanding Origins of Violence in Health Care Facilities" featured Jason Grellner of Evolv Technology and Drew Neckar of Cosecure. Both panelists spoke candidly about technology, terminology and steps that can be taken to dial down the danger at healthcare facilities.

Defining the threat

Neckar said acts of violence can affect any type of health care facility, and they can range from verbal harassment and minor assaults to extreme acts like stabbings and shootings. The main types of violence are motive- and relationship-driven, Neckar noted, and factors like intoxication, confusion, high-stress levels and mental health issues often compound the risk.

Please select this link to read the complete article from SmartBrief.