Bracing Yourself When Your Patient Turns Violent
Have you ever enjoyed an action-packed movie where a patient becomes violent and attacks healthcare staff? You might be recalling a few scenes right now, for example, a caregiver is held at gunpoint by a walk-in client asking for treatment or a frustrated patient loses it and hits someone, getting tackled and restrained as a result.
These scenarios are some of the highlights of these movies, and perhaps you think that they rarely happen in real life. But they do.
In 2013, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics released figures related to workplace violence in healthcare professions, and the numbers are shocking.
The healthcare industry takes the number one spot for serious workplace violence. By “serious,” we mean that workers had to take days off to recover from their injuries. The number of incidents is at 7.8 per 10,000 full-time employees, four times higher than in the private industry, which ranks second.
Eighty percent of these aggressive behaviors are done by patients, and the most common victims are nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides. The number of recorded cases of serious violence directed toward health aides (that caused days away from work) reached more than 7,000 that same year!
In addition to physical injuries resulting from these violent acts, there are psychological effects and other grim consequences for caregiver victims. These include stress, burnout, and other patients being put at risk due to medical errors committed by severely stressed staff.
These revelations paint a clear picture for caregivers. The chances of caring for an aggressive patient are high, so you should be prepared at all times, bracing yourself for such interactions.
Should a patient become physical, here are some ways to handle their behavior and the situation:
1. Know when it’s coming.
Recognize the signs of worsening anger, such as restlessness, pacing, making a fist, or clenching the jaws. Patients that tend to attack staff are angry, frustrated, and distressed. They throw threatening language around.
2. Keep calm.
It may seem easier said than done, but it is absolutely necessary to stay calm and keep your emotions in check. An aggressive patient sensing fear in a caregiver will have more confidence in carrying out the abusive behavior.
3. Be non-threatening.
Stand at a 45-degree angle from the patient and near an exit. Always have an escape plan in mind.
4. Listen and talk to the patient.
Sometimes the reason for the escalation of anger leading to violence is because a patient feels that they are not being heard. Let patients express themselves verbally. Use open-ended questions and keep the conversation going.
5. Know where alarms are placed and be ready to activate them when needed.
Have a unique code that you can say to alert other staff of the danger.
6. When the attack happens, follow protocol.
Your organization should have procedures in place when a violent act is committed, such as restraining the patient, calling security, or taking the patient to an empty room.
7. Ensure that other patients are safe.
A threatening patient can strike fear in both the staff and their fellow patients, and the entire floor could be affected by the incident. Make sure other clients are out of harm’s way.
Caregivers know the stresses of their career, but violence should never be accepted as just “part of the job.” Caregivers should be proactive in preventing hostile behavior in patients by recognizing the early signs, calming patients as soon as possible, and following protocol during an act of violence.
