Violence at healthcare sites on the rise

Too many healthcare workers are facing on-the-job violence, reports The Repository, based in Canton, Ohio.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that health care workers are five times more likely to experience violence than other occupations. The American Hospital Association also estimated that 16,990 hospital employees had a violence-related injury or illness that required days away from work in 2022.

Carolyn Smith, associate professor and associate dean for research at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing, was quoted in The Repository explaining that workplace violence has always been present in hospital environments, but health care settings have seen an increase in these incidents during the past decade.

The story also ran in the Times-Reporter, Record-Courier,  Akron Beacon Journal, The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Columbus Dispatch and at least half-a-dozen other publications.

"It is alarming that we are continuing to see increased episodes of workplace violence," Smith told The Repository. "It has had an uptick, especially with COVID and also a corresponding reduction in health care resources, shortages of nurses, and in my opinion, the more business-focused aspect of providing health care."