The Underreporting of Workplace Violence in Healthcare and How to Address It
It is a fact that violence is an unfortunate reality in healthcare workplaces. In the United States alone, 73% of all workplace violence incidents happen in the healthcare sector, which means that healthcare workers are between five and six times more likely to be attacked than in any other private workplace. However, more alarming is the fact that 88% of these incidents go unreported. This underreporting of workplace violence incidents is due to healthcare workers' beliefs that violence is an expected part of the job, beliefs that no action will be taken against perpetrators of violence, fear of negative consequences from reporting, and a lack of easily accessible reporting systems. This blog post will discuss why healthcare workers are reluctant to report workplace violence incidents and how hospital leadership can address these issues.
Fear of negative consequences from reporting is the most significant factor that prevents healthcare workers from reporting workplace violence incidents. Healthcare workers fear that reporting violent incidents will result in negative consequences for themselves, such as loss of their jobs, poor performance evaluations, and even retaliation from the perpetrators. Hospital leadership must take proactive steps to create a safe reporting environment by reassuring healthcare workers that their jobs are secure and that reporting will not have negative consequences. The hospital leadership can create an anonymous reporting system where the personal information of the person reporting the violent incident is kept confidential, and there is no fear of retaliation. (IMPaCT is built to make information sharing easy, including anonymous reporting.)
Another significant factor that prevents healthcare workers from reporting workplace violence is the belief that violence is an expected part of the job. Healthcare professionals should understand that workplace violence is not a normal part of their job description. Efforts should be made to increase awareness amongst hospital staff that reporting these incidents will foster a safer work environment for them and their colleagues.
Moreover, healthcare workers are more inclined to report workplace violence incidents if they believe that perpetrators will face the consequences of their actions. If healthcare workers perceive nothing will happen to the perpetrators, they tend not to report incidents. Hospital leadership can address this concern by creating clear communication channels to inform healthcare workers of the action taken against perpetrators. Additionally, hospital leaders could create task forces to investigate violent incidents to assure healthcare workers that reporting is effective. (IMPaCT has a fully trackable backend that informs reporters of what steps are being taken and why.)
In addition to clear communication channels, hospital leadership should implement easily accessible and supportive reporting systems. The reporting systems should be user-friendly, and healthcare workers must have easy access to reporting channels. Reporting channels can be implemented in various ways, such as traditional reporting systems, electronic reporting systems, mobile apps, or a combination of all three that healthcare workers may use. The aim is to create a supportive environment where healthcare professionals feel supported and their voices heard.
In conclusion, the underreporting of workplace violence incidents in the healthcare sector is a significant problem. Healthcare workers are more likely to be the victims of workplace violence than in any other private workplace. Despite this, many incidents go unreported due to a lack of supportive reporting systems, a belief that violence is an expected part of the job, and a fear of negative consequences from reporting. To address this problem, hospital leadership must create an environment that values open communication and addresses concerns positively. This will help to foster a sense of security among healthcare workers and encourage reporting. Creating clear communication channels, implementing supportive reporting systems that are easily accessible, and assuring healthcare workers that there are consequences for perpetrators of violence are proactive steps toward reducing workplace violence in the healthcare sector.
