The author says health care professionals have been subject to a rising tide of patient-inflicted assaults. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
For healthcare workers, the threat of violence is genuine. Gone are the days when healthcare heroes were recognized for selfless dedication and duty to those sick and dying. The same caregivers are now forced to operate under a cloud of potential violence, never sure when their compassion and expertise may be met with rage and assault. Since the pandemic, rates of verbal and physical violence against healthcare workers have steadily increased .
As a healthcare practitioner, I care for people when they are at their most vulnerable, scared, and stressed. But there has been a shift in the ethos, and it has become an acceptable societal norm to assault those who are trying to help you. I have been verbally abused, punched, kicked, spit at, my life threatened, and had bodily fluids flung at me and more times than I can count. One time, a patient broke my thumb and dislocated my wrist, and the manager asked what I had done to make the patient upset and why I was unable to continue to work. Why did the patient grab my wrist and twist it so hard that it dislocated? They had rung the call bell and had to wait as I was actively performing CPR on my other patient in the next room.
I would like to say that these experiences are unique and exceedingly rare. Unfortunately, they are everyday occurrences across health care and drive practitioners away from the industry. This leaves us short-staffed and contributes to delays in care, which in turn makes patients and families frustrated and ultimately leading to more violent outbursts. In other industries, when people get physically or verbally abusive, the perpetrators are removed from the situation and potentially arrested. In healthcare, we are expected to de-escalate the situation, accept all responsibility, make the patient and family happy, and continue to treat them regardless of what they did or said.
None of this will improve until laws with teeth – like the SAVE Act — are signed into law. It is bipartisan legislation that would provide federal protections against violence to hospital workers. It was proposed in 2023 but has not yet been signed into law.
Actions speak louder than words. It is understandable when patients who are elderly, have physical or cognitive disabilities or are experiencing a mental health crisis are in a heightened state of anxiety, fear, or agitation in stressful situations and may not be cognizant of their actions. When caring for vulnerable patients, it is important to make every effort to de-escalate any tense or difficult situations. Approaching situations like that with patience and empathy helps to build trust and ensures they obtain the treatment and care they need. But it is not acceptable for patients cognizant of their actions to be violent. If a family member gets violent, they should be escorted out of the facility and not be allowed to return. When patients get violent, healthcare practitioners should have the option of refusing to care for them. Decisions we make to ensure our personal safety should be supported.
When healthcare workers feel supported and safe at work, everyone benefits including the institution. We are helpers and nurturers, but no one wants to go to work wondering if that is the day we are going to be assaulted – with no repercussions.
We need laws with teeth. North Carolina did pass House Bill 560 in 2015, which provides that persons who assault hospital personnel or healthcare providers can be charged with a felony. But the federal legislation has yet to win approval. In this election year, the government must recognize the inherent value that healthcare workers provide to the public and demonstrate their willingness to keep us safe.
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