Hospital Employee Health – November 1, 2022

OSHA Violence Prevention Draft Reg Gathers Momentum

Making slow but steady progress on an intractable problem, OSHA is expected to issue a violence prevention draft standard for healthcare in 2023. The need for regulation is compelling, particularly since violence in healthcare is notoriously underreported.

Predicting Violence in the Individual Patient

Is it possible to assess whether a patient is a risk for committing an act of violence? An occupational health consultant in Oregon thinks the evidence strongly supports the efficacy of patient assessment tools, and more hospitals should be using them.

ACEP Survey: Emergency Departments Under Siege

In a recent survey, two-thirds of emergency physicians reported a patient assaulted them in the past year, and more than one-third of respondents said they have been attacked more than once. The survey by ACEP revealed 31% of assaults involved a family member or friend of the patient.

Using Technology to Alleviate HCW Stress, Strengthen Resiliency

As healthcare worker stress and burnout spiked during the pandemic, organizations searched for ways to alleviate the burden, including finding new uses for technology. To help healthcare workers adjust to these significant sources of stress, health systems can build and enhance resiliency.

Burnout Affects Nearly Half of Nurses, Physicians

Teamwork may be an antidote to burnout in healthcare. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout affected 43% of physicians and nurses. Doctors reported more isolation, according to a recent study. Worse, the pandemic pushed burnout to crisis levels, affecting more than half of all nurses and physicians.