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.