Healthcare staff exposed to severe violence

AMBULANCE personnel and child care staff are subjected to particularly high levels of workplace violence, a study has found.

Patients are the predominant source of aggression towards workers, but relatives have also displayed violence towards staff.

The findings of the Study of Work Related Violence, the first large-scale study of its kind in healthcare, found aggression between co-workers another cause of concern, “and should be investigated further”.

Conducted by the North Eastern Health Board and funded by the Department of Health, the study found incidents of work related violence are grossly under-reported, particularly verbal aggression.

“Without accurate reporting the organisation may be unaware of the magnitude and intensity of the problem encountered by staff,” the report said. It called for the creation of a culture “where staff believe something should and will be done, and where there is no perception of guilt or shame” if subjected to work related violence in the course of their work.

The study found many staff who had been physically assaulted had sustained minor injuries and that major injuries were rare. The study also found that staff experienced significant emotional impact from work related violence. It called for the raising of awareness of the potential emotional impact of work related violence at all levels of the organisation.

Of major concern was the number of staff absences due to work related violence and the resulting financial impact on healthcare services. Absences were not limited to experiences of physical violence. Staff reported taking time off work because of verbal abuse and threats alone.

“The costs involved in staff absences because of work related violence suggest a serious financial impact on the healthcare services on an annualised basis and warrant immediate investigation,” the report said. “While the cost projections based on the findings are speculative, in all likelihood the financial impact ... is in terms of millions on an annualised basis.”

The study’s project officer, Kevin McKenna, who oversaw its work for three years, said it had confirmed the extent of workplace violence at national level and had highlighted it as a problem that was “not going to go away.”

On foot of the study’s findings, the NEHB has collaborated with the Dundalk Institute of Technology to develop an educational programme at degree level in the Professional Management of Aggression and Violence. Details of the programme and the study were launched yesterday.

The programme will prepare healthcare staff from multiple disciplines as instructors responsive to incidents of aggression and violence in diverse clinical settings. The course is currently in the process of academic accreditation and will be delivered by the Dundalk Institute of Technology.