Mitigating workplace violence is a must when preventing healthcare burnout

Editor's Note

Burnout in the healthcare workforce is a significant challenge hospitals and healthcare systems face, and a September 27 webinar hosted by US News and World Report tackled the many efforts hospital leaders are undertaking to address it. Among the various reasons cited as contributing to the problem—including rising demand for services, staff shortages, and the COVID-19 pandemic—workplace violence was deemed a major concern.

According to the webinar, part of the reason why crippling nurse shortages persevere today is a lack of workplace support and safety. In a recent survey of 11,000 nurses, the American Nurses Association found that 58% of respondents consider their workplace unsafe. In addition, the healthcare workforce makes up 14% of all workers in the US but accounts for 75% of all nonfatal intentional workplace injuries, one of the webinar panelists noted.

“The groups most at risk for workplace violence are nursing assistants, medical assistants, housekeeping, and social workers,” said the same panelist. “A Bureau of Labor Statistics study of 6 years of data found that Black healthcare workers experienced injury rates three times greater than their white colleagues…[and] injuries that resulted in at least one day of missed work have at least doubled for workers in hospitals, ambulatory medical settings and nursing homes.”

Many states have begun mobilizing legislation to better protect healthcare workers, OR Manager reported in February and March. OR Manager also published a two-part series (view part 1 and part 2) on mitigating workplace violence through better transparency and targeted programs focused on support teams and services. Additionally, the US News and World Report webinar noted that a 2022 legislation called Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act is being proposed, which would provide healthcare workers similar protections to those that are given to flight crews and airport workers.