We’ve watched it play out repeatedly in popular television medical dramas: nurses and doctors assaulted, some even killed by the very people they’re employed to help, forced to fend for their lives while being pummeled, stabbed and shot. Staff are cautious to report incidents on account of patients inability to control their mental faculties due to dementia or mental health problems leading to a low arrest rate.
With the surge of addicts in the ongoing opioid epidemic, staff are at risk when refusing to prescribe more narcotics.
"They go to the emergency department hoping to get some relief, from not just the pain but the symptoms of withdrawal," Friedman explained. "These folks are agitated, they're desperate and they don't really have anywhere to turn." — Medical Xpress
This results in undermining care for all patients including furthering the negative stigma of addiction. Staff understand the need for care and compassion and want to provide that while preventing any harm to themselves, the patient, staff and other patients.
American College of Emergency Physicians reports that “more than 75 percent of emergency physicians experienced at least one violent workplace incident in a year.”
Meanwhile:
"According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, “intentional injury’’ by another person rose from 6.4 per 10,000 hospital workers in 2011 to 9.0 per 10,000 hospital workers in 2016, the most recent year of data. The rate across private industry is 1.7." — Boston Globe
The rise in violence leaves hospitals searching for answers. Several solutions have been implemented including training staff in recognizing the signs, if possible, of impending situations that can lead to violence. Some emergency rooms provide security guards for staff protection; however, not all maintain security during the peak hours of assaults between 11 PM and 7 AM. Controlled badge access to certain spaces of a hospital can protect these areas; that still leaves staff and other patients vulnerable.
BEC Integrated Solutions can supply hospitals with CCTV — a Channel Vision CCTV Surveillance Camera and Video Recording System to enhance security measures that will keep staff and patients safe and secure.
Another solution is to “place "panic buttons" unobtrusively in several locations of an emergency department.”
BEC Integrated Solutions can provide hospitals with a panic alarm button system that can alert security personnel and local authorities to an emergency.
Panic Alarm Neck Pendants can also be worn in certain high-risk situations. This provides an extra layer of security for those needing a more mobile system of protection.
Contact BEC Integrated Solutions for a free quote today.
