Healthcare violence

Violence is a severe problem in healthcare facilities with more assaults occurring in health and social services than any other industry. In a recent 10 year period there were 106 health care related deaths from violence. Psychiatric units and emergency departments are the leading areas for violence, but no department is immune.

Eliminating violence from healthcare facilities is a responsibility each facility and its employees share.

The facilities can:

* provide information on the hazards associated with units and jobs
* train supervisors on methods to reduce security hazards
* supervise the movement and care of risky patients and monitor high risk patients
* control access to high risk areas, including emergency rooms, psychiatric units, intensive care units and pharmacies
* ensure employee safety by prohibiting them from working alone and providing escorts as appropriate

Employees can:

* know the security procedures of their facilities
* not leave scalpels or needles near patients
* obtain patient history of violence
* report every violent incident to administration and security

Pain management standards

All accredited healthcare organizations have been required to comply with JCAHO’s pain management standards since 2001, but many have struggled to comply.

The standards recognize the rights of patients to assess and manage pain and implore health care organizations to assure staff competency in pain assessment and management.

Here are the eight steps you can take to comply with the standards:

1. Develop an interdisciplinary work group that focuses on pain management.
2. Analyze current pain management practices to determine how you can improve.
3. Articulate and implement a standard of practice – who assesses pain, how do they do it, when do they do it.
4. Establish accountability for pain management.
5. Provide clinicians with information about pharmacologic interventions to help them write and implement orders.
6. Provide patients a quick response to their reports of pain.
7. Provide education of staff – programs for nurses are especially helpful.
8. Use patient surveys and performance measurements to continually evaluate and improve the quality of pain management.



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