workplace violence (wpv) against health care practitioners

Workplace Violence Against Health Care

Practitioners

✖ Workplace Violence is not part of a health care worker’s job!

Hello!I am Joseph Geiger

The scope of this review sought studies that included physicians, general practitioners, and dentists in clinics, hospitals, academic settings

and private practice

You can find me at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joegeiger3

https://wp.nyu.edu/joegeiger/or on Twitter @jfgeiger3

What is Workplace Violence?

Defining WPV

✖Workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site

✖Ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide

OSHA

WPV in Health CareRate of violent crime in American health

care facilities rose by twenty-five percent from 2012 to 2013!

Despite being only 15% of the workforce, health care workers

experience the majority of workplace assaults!

Health Care

Other

Wax et al 2016, Wu et al 2015, Zhao et al 2015

IntoxicationLong wait times

Psychiatric Issues

History of Violence

Treatment Outcomes Bills

Common Themes leading to Violence

Injury

Self-DefenseFear

Anger

Anxiety

Distress

How do people respond to WPV?

Magnavita and Heponiemi 2012, Azodo, Ezeja, and Ehikhamenor 2011, Fallahi-Khoshknab et al 2016, Zhao et al 2015, & Al-Turki et al 2016

But why aren’t healthcare workers

getting support?

Preventing WPV – Changing the Stigma

DesensitizationMany workers report feeling desensitized to violence!

Too Time ConsumingThe reporting process needs to be streamlined and simple!

No Intent to HarmJust because there was no intent to harm, doesn’t mean incidents shouldn’t be reported

Ramacciati et al 2016, Arnetz et al 2015, and Fallahi-Khoshknab et al 2016

What now?

IdentifyWPV

Risk FactorsEncourageReporting

Change the Stigma!

It’s not part of the job.