Joint Commission Launches Workplace Violence Resource Center
"Many of us in health care have witnessed or experienced workplace violence firsthand," said Ann Scott Blouin, RN, Ph.D., FACHE, executive vice president of Customer Relations for the commission. "It is critical that we share key resources with those in the health care community to help them prepare for and address, as well as hopefully prevent, this type of unfortunate situation from taking place."
The Joint Commission has launched an online resource center dedicated to preventing workplace violence in health care settings. The "Workplace Violence Prevention Resources" center offers resources for health care organizations, health care professionals, and the general public, as well; The Joint Commission developed it in response to statistics showing higher rates of workplace violence in health care compared to other settings, according to a 2015 OSHA guidelines document.
The commission's announcement said accredited health care organizations and advisory committee members—"including nurses, physicians, pharmacists, risk managers and other professionals with hands-on experience addressing worker and patient safety"—also identified the need for additional resources to help mitigate workplace violence.
"Many of us in health care have witnessed or experienced workplace violence firsthand," said Ann Scott Blouin, RN, Ph.D., FACHE, executive vice president of Customer Relations for the commission. "Workers in health care are five times more likely to be victims of nonfatal assaults or violent acts than the average worker in all other occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As a result, it is critical that we share key resources with those in the health care community to help them prepare for and address, as well as hopefully prevent, this type of unfortunate situation from taking place."
The resources include policies, procedures, guidelines, research, case studies, white papers, and toolkits on topics such as violent and criminal event preparedness and prevention, active shooter situations in health care settings, workplace safety measures, behavioral threat management and emergency operations planning, and bullying.
The resources come from the commission, federal and state agencies, professional associations and health care organizations. "Designed as a living library, the resource center encourages contributors and others to share their materials for inclusion on an ongoing basis," the commission stated.