Harm to healthcare workers: The impact of violence in the workplace

You've likely seen at least one story.Nurse held hostage at gunpoint and raped by violent patient, doctor murdered by disgruntled patient or family member, nurse stabbed by patient. The news fills with these stories every day, and yet despite all the efforts over the last few decades to curb these events, they continue to happen.Workplace safety is a fundamental right for every working citizen. OSHA oversights include extensive content on how to address violence against healthcare workers with how to report incidents, how to prevent them, and adequate training across disciplines within a healthcare organization. It also requires a commitment that any and all incidents, regardless of level of injury, be taken seriously and addressed promptly with an intervention or action plan to prevent future incidents. Without federal protections for all workers or requirements for prevention training for any and all staff at healthcare sites across the nation, regardless of size or number of employees, this is likely to be an ongoing issue.