In a sobering cross-sectional study, researchers found that healthcare workers in emergency departments (EDs) experience workplace violence at a rate of once every 3.7 shifts. Even worse, in the large urban ED study site, 25% of the incidents involved physical violence, as published in JAMA Network Open. The odds of experiencing violence increased for those in a nursing role and workers of a younger age. Those who experienced violence reported they were moderately or severely affected in 24% of events. The study was conducted from August 28 to October 22, 2023—a time well after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when violence seemed to creep up routinely in healthcare settings. Using reporting sheets for each shift, the 72 participants provided descriptions that were classified as: 77 type 1 events (50%; shouting, yelling, or insults); 29 type 2 events (19%; threats of physical or sexual violence, death threats, or use of slurs); and 39 type 3 events (25%; physical violence). No events of physical violence causing grievous injuries, permanent disability, or death (type 4 or 5) were recorded.
The reality: While most people might be able to imagine what the threatening and sexist or racist insults would sound like, the authors provide a list of grim, real-world examples, stating the actions and the verbatim words that healthcare workers faced during their shifts. The chilling list is worth a look to motivate greater urgency to identify interventions that protect health workers.