According to the CDC, healthcare workers experience 48% of all nonfatal intentional injuries due to workplace violence. The crisis of workplace violence in the healthcare industry is staggering, especially for an industry that helps other people heal.
The Associated Press reported in 2023 that American healthcare workers “now suffer more nonfatal injuries from workplace violence than workers in any other profession, including law enforcement.” This violence is dangerous for workers and expensive for healthcare providers.
Improved workplace safety measures and support systems are necessary, and better legislation can hold those who harm healthcare workers accountable. We hope this information will inform the public about the high rates of workplace violence in this industry and its associated costs.
Key Findings:
- Prevalence of Violence: Healthcare workers, despite making up only 10% of the workforce, experience 48% of nonfatal injuries due to workplace violence (BLS, 2023b).
- High Rate of Assaults: More than 5,200 nursing personnel were assaulted in the second quarter of 2022. On average, two nurses were assaulted every hour, which is about 57 assaults per day. (Press Ganey)
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- Increase in Verbal Harassment: The number of healthcare workers reporting harassment at work doubled from 6% in 2018 to 13% in 2022.
- Impact on Mental Health: High rates of violence contribute to mental health issues among healthcare workers, with 85% reporting anxiety, 60% reporting depression, and 81% reporting burnout.
- Increase in Verbal Harassment: The number of healthcare workers reporting harassment at work doubled from 6% in 2018 to 13% in 2022.
- Rising Workers’ Comp Claims: Healthcare and social assistance workers experienced 18,690 nonfatal intentional injuries in 2020.
- Increased Spending on Security: To protect workers, hospitals have invested heavily in security measures to prepare for and respond to violent incidents, spending $2.7 billion in 2016 alone.
- Lawmakers Respond: Many states have enacted legislation to raise penalties against those who assault healthcare workers, and several bills are working their way through Congress to address the crisis.
Examples of Workplace Violence Against Healthcare Workers
Healthcare workers often experience verbal harassment at their job from patients, but many incidents turn physical. An explosion of violence has happened since the start of the pandemic. Here are some examples:
- A patient in Georgia grabbed a nurse by the wrist and kicked her in the ribs. The hospital where this happened said it dealt with violent encounters twice a day during 2020.
- A nurse in South Dakota was thrown against a wall and bitten by a patient in 2022 after being forced to wear a mask.
- A medical student in New York who came from Thailand was called racist names and then kicked and dragged to the ground. The student had to take several weeks off to recover.
Of the total workplace violence cases in health care and social assistance from 2021 to 2022, 69.0 percent (28,970 cases) required days from work, and 30.9 percent (12,980 cases) required job transfer or restriction days.
Workers Experience Mental Health Troubles As Well
Data also has revealed that healthcare workers are deeply affected mentally by the rise in physical violence. There is a rising level of mental health issues in workers affected by violence compared to those who haven’t been attacked. Of those who have been attacked:
- 85% report increased anxiety
- 60% report increased depression
- 81% report burnout attributed to their job
The Financial Burdens of Violence Against Healthcare Workers
When assaults happen against healthcare workers, they have a right to seek workers’ compensation for their injuries. The costs of paying for workers’ compensation plus the lost labor from an absent employee are pushing healthcare providers to take steps to lower the burden.
One way providers are protecting themselves is by adding extra security to prevent patients from injuring staff. Patients cause the most intentional injuries to healthcare workers. In 2016, hospitals spent over $2.7 billion on proactive and reactive violent response efforts.
Employers must take action because ignoring the problem can be even more costly. According to the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, the average jury award to a victim whose employer failed to take proactive, preventative measures was $3.1 million per incident.
Legislatures Act to Stop the Crisis
Some states have enacted or increased penalties for attacks on healthcare employees because of the crisis, and two bills are working their way through Congress to address the issue. These include the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Services Workers Act, and the SAVE Act, all introduced in 2023
The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Services Workers Act would require the Department of Labor to develop an occupational safety and health standard requiring employers to protect workers and other personnel from workplace violence. Both have been referred to their respective committees.
S.2768, the SAVE Act, would prohibit anyone from interfering with hospital personnel performing their jobs and enact penalties and/or imprisonment.
For example, a hospital employee assault could result in fines and up to 10 years in prison. If dangerous weapons are involved or if bodily injury is involved, the term of imprisonment is up to 20 years.
Further Action Must Be Taken
Being a healthcare professional is not easy, but it’s unconscionable that they must suffer so much violence from the very people they’re trying to help. Workers need to know how to protect themselves by knowing their rights and working together to get the protection they need.
The crisis will continue until patients learn to respect the people trying to help them or are forced to do so by legislative action. Until then, they may need to keep the number of an Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer in their pocket just in case.