Workplace Violence

Healthcare workers make up 10% of the US workforce but they experience 48% of the nonfatal injuries due to workplace violence (BLS, 2023b). Half of nurses reported having been verbally and/or physically assaulted by a patient or a member of a patient’s family within the past two years. More than one in four (26%) said they are likely to leave their current role due to these incidents (https://www.aha.org/aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2024-03-26-workforce-shortages-and-violence-are-rising-concerns-state-nursing-poll) 

There are different types of violence in the workplace (graphic below) but this site will focus on category 2. The Nebraska Hospital Association created a Workplace Violence (WPV) Task Force to update the WPV toolkit and discuss ways to make our healthcare environment a safer place to work.  

Since 2020, Nebraska Hospitals have had a nearly 10-fold increase in patient on staff incidents (WPV survey data from 2024).  

Contact: Stacey Ocander, NHA, socander@nebraskahospitals.org

Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2023a. Table R8. Annualized incidence rates for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work, restricted activity, or job transfer (DSR), days away from work (DAFW), and days of restricted work activity, or job transfer (DJTR) by industry and selected events or exposures leading to injury or illness, private industry, 2021-2022. Accessed online 2.21.24 at https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bls.gov%2Fiif%2Fnonfatal-injuries-and-illnesses-tables%2Fcase-and-demographic-characteristics-table-r8-2021-2022.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK.