Combating Workplace Violence: An Evidence-Based Initiative

Multiple factors (e.g., a misperception of what constitutes violence and lack of administrative response following violent events) may precipitate a lack of compliance in hospital employees' reporting patient-to-staff violent incidents, as well as lead to poor staff perception of personal safety and support from hospital administration. Lack of recognition of the true incidence and underreporting of verbal violence, which often precedes physical violence, may contribute to a false sense of security within a healthcare facility.

The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) project is to evaluate the effectiveness of instituting an institutional practice policy, implemented on (a) reports of patient-to-staff violence incidents and (b) staff perception of safety and support from hospital administration in Northwest Indiana hospital.

Retrospective analyses of the facility’s online incident reporting system, security request calls, restraint application, and data from a previously deployed WPV employeesurvey was utilized to identify the ED as having had the highest reported occurrence of patient/visitor violence, security assist calls, restraint applications, as well as the lowest perception of safety and support from facility administration.

The WPV policy included procedural direction and signage was drafted and posted indicating the facility’s policy stance on having a zero-tolerance environment to violence against staff, patients, and visitors. Four-hour policy in-services addressed (a) the importance or reporting violence, (b) what constitutes violence, and (c) the follow through procedure to be expected when a report is made. Multiple educational sessions were presented throughout the month of November, 2016 to accommodate the varying shifts of the ED staff.

To evaluate the impact of the intervention, WPV surveys will be administered 8-weeks post-implementation and reporting of violent incidents will be tracked via Risk Pro Monitor (the facility's current system). Inferential statistics will be used to evaluate differences in perceptions of safety and administrative support. Descriptive statistics will be used to compare reports of violence. Then, insert your projections here. And end with, statistical significance for all analyses will be established at p< .05.