Physical and Verbal Violence Against Health Care Workers

“I’ve been bitten, kicked, punched, pushed, pinched, shoved, scratched, and spat upon,” says a nurse featured in a Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert titled “Physical and Verbal Violence Against Health Care Workers.” “I have been bullied and called very ugly names. I’ve had my life, the life of my unborn child, and of my other family members threatened, requiring security escort to my car.”

Workplace violence is not merely the heinous, violent events that make the news; it is also the everyday occurrences, such as verbal abuse, that are often overlooked. Valek & Co. contributed to the development of this alert, as it has many other alerts resulting in high search engine optimization (SEO) and, more importantly, improvements to safety practices in hospitals. Sentinel Event Alerts call attention to conditions or hazards that can cause harm or death to patients or health care workers.

The alert was also summarized in an infographic that creates awareness about the various forms workplace violence can take.

The goals of the alert are to help health care organizations recognize and acknowledge workplace violence directed against health care workers from patients and visitors, to better prepare staff to handle violence, and to more effectively address the aftermath.