Violence in healthcare is a significant problem, with both physical and financial consequences. In 2022, the American Hospital Association (AHA) reported that nearly 17,000 hospital workers experienced nonfatal injuries or illnesses related to workplace violence that were serious enough to require time off. The AHA also recently reported that workplace and community violence is costing U.S. hospitals over $18 billion annually.
For years, healthcare facilities have heavily relied on safety and security teams to manage incidents, but siloed responses can fall short during critical incidents. Implementing collaborative, cross-functional teams to combat workplace violence is becoming more important than ever. In doing so, healthcare workers and their leaders can better identify risks, share knowledge, and implement interventions to promote healthy environments.
Building Cross-Functional Safety Teams
Violence in healthcare facilities has far-reaching impacts on all staff—from clinicians all the way to senior leadership. When building safety teams, it’s important to include stakeholders from different areas within the organization to meaningfully contribute diverse perspectives.
For example, security staff can bring expertise to conversations around violence prevention strategies and how to translate scenarios into protocols that make sense for the unique needs of the facility. Clinical staff can help identify common triggers of violence and offer insights on what would help them feel most protected, enhancing the robustness of safety plans. HR can play a role in ensuring staff are aware of all safety plans and protocols and are regularly receiving training to keep up with evolving measures. They can also dictate and clearly communicate the policies and expectations of the facility so they are clear to patients, family members, and other visitors that violence isn’t tolerated.
Consider a hospital where clinical staff were able to report patient interactions that consistently triggered aggressive behavior. If an incident hadn’t occurred, security staff may not have had visibility into these patterns or may have only been on hand to help de-escalate the situation. With a collaborative approach and automated reporting process, safety teams would be able to identify trends and suggest modifications for proactive mitigation.
Every department sees the organization through a different lens, but all have the same goal: to provide quality care to patients. This starts by protecting the caretakers.
Securing Executive Buy-in and Aligning Safety Efforts
Safety efforts must always be aligned with the healthcare organization’s institutional priorities. A first step in elevating the need for better workplace violence prevention is showcasing how employee well-being correlates with overarching institutional goals. For many organizations, priorities are centered around areas like patient care, staff retention, and regulatory compliance. This can be illustrated with data such as violence-related costs or staff turnover numbers. Using hard metrics will help engage leadership and create urgency.
Once buy-in is secured, clear communication from leadership about safety goals and expectations is paramount. This ensures staff understand how their contributions connect to the organization’s priorities and reinforces cross-functional responsibilities in the event of an incident.
Let’s put this into perspective. A recent report from McKinsey found that a global healthcare worker shortage of at least 10 million is expected by 2030. For healthcare organizations, retaining staff isn’t a “nice to have,” it’s absolutely critical. Tracking how safety measures such as hiring more security personnel, installing better lighting, or adding wearable duress buttons correlate to staff retention can provide compelling evidence. Demonstrating how safety tools could reduce violent incidents while improving staff morale would be a significant win for the organization. Results may even help improve future recruitment efforts.
Activating and Evaluating the Team
A successful cross-functional team appoints leaders who are solution-oriented, establishes a regular meeting cadence, and defines roles clearly. It’s critical that all team members are aligned on what success looks like and identify a designated group leader.
Teams should be encouraged to openly share observations, propose solutions, and participate in ongoing discussions related to the organization’s safety plans. They should have regular check-ins with leadership to ensure resources remain available and that the team’s ongoing work continues to be supported outwardly. Additionally, they should normalize conversations around incident reporting, and follow through with support, no matter the severity of the incident.
Once the team is activated, it must be evaluated to understand the impact. Defining clear metrics and goals to be achieved within reasonable timeframes allows teams to understand if their strategies are successful. This could be seen through reduced reported incidents or increased staff survey scores on perceived safety. These metrics should be assessed at an ongoing rate and augmented accordingly should priorities shift or results exceed or fail to meet expectations.
Committing to a Culture of Zero Tolerance
Workplace violence prevention cannot solely rely on one department or a single perspective. With a team built on diverse expertise and shared goals, healthcare organizations can foster an environment of safety and empowerment.
Andrea Greco is SVP of healthcare safety at CENTEGIX.