Workplace violence (WPV) in the healthcare setting, though well documented, is not commonly discussed. According to a new report from Canopy, more than 10% of all hospital staff in every role–nurses, physicians, and non-medical staff–were impacted by WPV last year.
While 40% of WPV alerts originated in emergency departments (40.5%), nearly two-thirds happened in other areas of the hospital. Canopy analyzed data from more than 40 hospitals and health systems across 800 facilities in the US. Interestingly, 20% more incidents occurred on weekdays versus weekend days. Data show a 9% increase in incidents during full moons, offering some support to the common notion that lunar cycles may influence negative behaviors.
Previous research has shown that 62% of healthcare workers in any setting globally report exposure to any form of WPV. Most cases (42.5%) of reported healthcare WPV were non-physical, Verbal abuse was the most common form of non-physical violence, followed by threats and sexual harassment.
Analysis of data for general practice shows that similar rates of healthcare workers–63%–experienced any form of WPV. About one-third encountered non-physical violence, while 8.5% reported experiencing physical violence.
The Joint Commission offers workplace violence prevention resources, as does UC Health Systems.