photo by KounasA new study, released this past September, suggests that rates of violence against emergency room nurses are high, and remain steady.
The study, which was issued by the Emergency Nurses Association, states that every week, as many as 8-10 % of emergency room nurses in the United States are victims of physical violence.
The Emergency Department Violence Study also reported that 15 % of the nurses who reported experiencing physical violence said that they received physical injuries as a result, and in 45 % of the cases, no legal action was taken against the perpetrator.
“We are extremely alarmed that there are so many cases in which hospitals do not respond to violence in the emergency department,” said ENA President Diane Gurney, RN, MS, CEN.
The report however, does suggest that remedies to the problem do exist.
Panic buttons or silent alarms are associated with lowering physical violence rates. Also having an enclosed nurses’ station, security signs and well-lit areas are associated with significantly lower verbal abuse rates.
The complete study can be found at ENA.org
What are your experiences?
1 comment:
In NYS it is now a class felony on par with assault of a police officer, fireman, or EMS worker.
"New York State Senate’s passage of S4018, an act to amend the penal law, making assault on registered nurses a Class C felony."
http://www.nursezone.com/Nursing-News-Events/more-news/New-York-Nurses-Celebrate-Legislative-Victory-that-Protects-Nurses-from-Violence_33502.aspx
There is no reason whatsoever one should not press charges or have the police called with any act of violence against us within our jobs.
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