Three Ways to Elevate Safety in Your Healthcare Organization

By Your Health Magazine

Healthcare is at the forefront of Americans’ minds, and healthcare leaders are constantly looking for ways to improve the quality of care they offer patients.

One way to improve patient outcomes and your bottom line is to mitigate safety risks. Violence in healthcare is a significant safety risk impacting hospitals across the nation, leading to high turnover rates, staff burnout, higher costs, and worse patient outcomes.

Healthcare leaders can address the risks caused by violence in healthcare by making safety a top priority in their organizations. Continue reading for three ways to start the process of elevating safety in your healthcare facility.

1. Know the Value of Hospital Safety

Occupational violence is defined as an “act or threat of violence, ranging from verbal abuse to physical assaults directed toward persons at work or on duty.” Occupational violence can happen to any type of employee and includes physical abuse and psychological abuse. Workplace violence can have a significant impact on talent, and healthcare employees are no different.

Healthcare workers experience a disproportionate amount of violence in the workplace. One survey found that over 90% of healthcare workers experienced or witnessed workplace violence in the 30 days preceding the survey. Another startling statistic: healthcare workers are 12 times more likely to experience workplace violence than workers in any other industry, and 75% of all incidents of workplace violence involve healthcare employees.

A 2024 survey examining the previous year found that:

82% of nurses experienced workplace violence.
91% of emergency physicians were threatened or attacked.
71% of healthcare employees believe that violence is worse than last year.

Workplace violence impacts healthcare workers who experience it, and it casts a shadow on the entire organization. As a healthcare leader, you can initiate organizational change by implementing safety plans and technology that prioritize patient, physician, and nurse safety. In turn, your organization can enjoy decreased costs and turnover, as well as better employee morale and patient outcomes. Understanding the state of workplace violence in healthcare and the value of hospital safety is the first step to fostering a culture built on security.

2. Implement Workplace Safety Plans

The next step to improve safety at your healthcare organization is to consider how workplace safety plans might benefit your team.

If your healthcare staff are worried about their safety due to workplace violence concerns, it can negatively impact the quality of care patients receive. Implementing an effective safety plan can lower costs by decreasing workplace violence, staffing shortages, and staff burnout.

Workplace violence. Healthcare workers should feel they can approach hospital administration if they feel unsafe. Many who experience workplace violence in nursing perceive a lack of support from the administration, citing this as the reason they seek to leave their organization. Many staff members report they would feel more supported by consistent safety training, analysis of staff schedules and workloads, and moving staff around as needed to ease healthcare workers’ workloads. Administrators can also create more efficient alliances to take advantage of the variety of skill sets within their staff.

Staffing shortages. Healthcare organizations that lack adequate safety plans may experience higher rates of staff burnout and staffing shortages—a likely result of workplace violence. Crafting safety plans that address workplace violence can instill confidence in your team and improve overall staff well-being. Having a safety plan in place promotes the feeling of safety among staff and patients, leading to better outcomes.

Burnout. Healthcare organizations that prioritize safety through action make workers feel seen and appreciated as they provide patient care and carry out other important duties. Healthcare organizations can take action to foster a safer work environment and mitigate staff burnout by:

Implementing straightforward policies and procedures that reinforce staff safety so that they feel empowered to report safety issues without fear of retaliation.
Facilitating regular safety checks based on previous incident information.
Evaluate the suitability of current technology, such as visitor management and emergency weather alerts.

Workplace safety plans are necessary to comfort staff and ensure your entire team feels secure at work. Further, workplace safety plans combat a more significant issue in the healthcare field—workplace violence against healthcare workers.

Implementing an effective, efficient workplace safety plan at your healthcare organization will help you, your team, and your patients feel safe if a situation turns violent.

An effective plan includes:

Education for employees and management staff
Research on safety vulnerabilities
Personal protection equipment
Adequate staffing levels
Ongoing monitoring of safety measures

Keeping your talent safe should be a top priority, and executing a safety plan that meets all your organization’s needs is no easy feat. To keep healthcare workers safe, safety policies and procedures should be accompanied by regular employee training and ongoing monitoring of safety policies and systems. Healthcare organizations can strategically implement technology to help meet safety goals. For example, integrating discreet equipment like wearable duress buttons into your plan can empower employees to request help without drawing attention to themselves when confronted with workplace violence.

3. Elevate Your Safety Plan with Technology

How can you and your organization be pioneers for safety in healthcare while fostering healthy business growth? Find the right safety partner and leverage technology that fits your goals and your team.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a new need for technology in healthcare. From telehealth to better security systems, the landscape has changed, and patients have more expectations of their providers. Today, the demand for technology-driven solutions in healthcare is more pressing than ever. The good news is that there are innovations that can significantly impact the healthcare industry’s approach to safety.

Mobile duress buttons. Mobile duress buttons have garnered a lot of attention in recent years because they can address multiple safety concerns at once. Panic buttons provide healthcare professionals with an accessible, reliable way to call for help—no matter the severity of the situation. The best panic buttons also provide responders with the necessary information, such as emergency status and location, to aid as effectively as possible.

Mapping capabilities. Critical incident mapping is another tool healthcare organizations should adopt to ensure the security of their staff and patients. Mapping technology will provide your healthcare organization with maps that can pinpoint the exact location of an emergency in real time, accelerating response times from responders.

Visitor management. Healthcare organizations are community hubs with a lot of foot traffic. Employees, patients, families, vendors, and other visitors can be difficult to keep track of. Implementing a system that allows healthcare providers to know who is in the facility at all times is critical for the safety of patients and staff. Another important feature to look for in a visitor management system is the ability to screen in real time. Leaders should be able to screen certain visitors, like contractors, for potential threats and proactively mitigate security gaps.

Compliance. The uptick in violence in healthcare has led lawmakers to act. In April 2023, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act was introduced, and if passed, will impact how the healthcare industry approaches employee safety and security. Healthcare organizations can get ahead of the curve and tackle safety issues proactively to mitigate any compliance concerns down the road.

The healthcare industry will continue to face challenges caused by violence in healthcare. The silver lining is that healthcare leaders can address the current issues related to safety and security by understanding the value of safety in their healthcare organization, implementing tailored, comprehensive safety plans, and leveraging the best technology to exceed safety goals.