person holding stethoscope with medical icons overlaid

Empowering Hospitals to Improve the Visitor Experience and Workplace Safety

On June 2nd, for the seventh year in a row, the American Hospital Association sponsored #HAVhope Friday — a National Day of Awareness to end violence in healthcare settings. #HAVhope unites hospitals, health systems, nurses, doctors, other health care professionals and individuals from communities across the country in sharing their commitment to keeping healthcare facilities safe.

Memorial Healthcare Today is National Day of Awareness to End Violence FACT Workplace violence is a current obstacle nurses and healthcare workers face every day. On average, 2 nurses are assaulted every hour for a total of 57 assaults per day.

Source: Instagram: Memorial Healthcare (@memorialhealthcare) • Instagram photos and videos

Every day, a wide range of individuals step foot through hospital doors: patients seeking treatment, anxious family members awaiting news, dedicated healthcare professionals working to save lives, and countless others. With a constant influx of identities to manage, a delicate balance is struck between the need for both accessibility and security. The task of maintaining order, privacy and safety can feel much like navigating a maze.

Violence in the health care environment has a broad impact on the workforce and patient care delivery, says AHA Board Member Mary Beth Kingston, executive vice president and chief nursing officer with Advocate Health and chair of AHA’s Hospitals Against Violence advisory group. It contributes to our existing workforce shortage and it’s challenging to provide care when concerned about your own physical and psychological safety.

The Issues

Workplace violence in hospitals is not an isolated or infrequent occurrence, but a prevalent issue that requires the implementation of systems and preventive measures to ensure the safety and well-being of healthcare professionals and patients alike.

Investing in a centralized solution can prevent workplace violence and safeguard the well-being of both healthcare professionals and patients, making it an indispensable priority.

While there are many contributing factors to violence in hospitals, a common one relates to the high level of stress visitors are experiencing when they walk through the doors.

High-Stress Time for Visitors

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, about 20% of violent incidents in healthcare settings are caused by visitors.

65% of nurses surveyed reported they had been verbally or physically assaulted by a patient or patient’s family within the last year Reference: American College of Emergency Physicians and the Emergency Nurses Association 2022 Surveys
48% of hospital nurses reported an increase in workplace violence, up from 30.6% in September 2021 and from 21.9% in March 2021 Reference: National Nurses United

Worker’s Compensation + Staffing

From an operational standpoint, violence in hospitals complicates the way a hospital functions — having effects on worker’s compensation, staffing and other areas. By 2033, the United States will face a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians and will also have to hire 200,000 nurses every year to keep up with the demand and to replace nurses who are retiring.

The average cost of restaffing a nurse who has been assaulted is $94,000 At What Cost Workplace violence cost hospitals $279.5 million annually Workers’ compensation insurer says they counted 2,868 accepted workplace violence claims in 2022, 25% more than the 2,292 accepted in 2018 The average cost of turnover for nurses causes a hospital to lose $3.6 million to $6.5 million per year. Each percent change in RN turnover costs or saves the average hospital $270,800 per year Nurses are 16x more likely to be assaulted than other workers Reference: Journal of Nursing Administration, the American Nurses Association, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health

The use of HID’s Patient Visitor Manager can positively influence the averages for worker’s compensation. With enhanced safety measures, violent incidents decrease, and workplace violence-related injuries will subsequently go down, potentially lowering the overall national average for workers’ compensation in the healthcare sector.

How HID Patient Visitor Manager Can Help

With a strong foundation built on years of expertise, our offerings incorporate the latest trends and technologies, ensuring hospitals have access to a cutting-edge system that meets their evolving needs while maintaining a focus on safety and security that also provides ease and simplicity.  

Our solution manages every type of person that walks through hospital doors:

  • The patient
  • The people coming to see the patient
  • The people taking care of the patient
  • The people that make it all happen for the patient (contractors, travel nurses, contingent workers)

HID’s Stats and Facts — The Numbers Speak

The increasing rates of violence in hospitals speak for themselves, highlighting the urgent need for effective preventive measures.

The pandemic brought about mandates and restrictions that inadvertently improved safety measures in hospitals while helping prevent the spread of disease. As hospitals navigate the transition beyond the pandemic, ensuring the continuation of these restrictions becomes a priority to address the ongoing challenge of violence prevention within healthcare settings.

In the EM60 podcast episode, Physical Identity Challenges in the Healthcare System, Analyst Dr. Eric Cole speaks to, Clete Bordeaux, Director of Healthcare Business Development here at HID and Michael Ramstack, System Senior Director of Security from Essentia Health, about addressing the security challenges in a similar way that the pandemic was addressed. Take a listen, and stay tuned for more on our Patient Visitor Manager.

Get more information on PVM >>  

Listen to the full podcast HID: Physical Identity Challenges in the Healthcare Industry >>

Samantha Friedman is the Content Marketing Manager for HID helping drive content initiatives and brand positioning for the Workforce solutions within the Identity and Access Management division. She has extensive experience in content strategy and implementation across a variety of industries including advertising technology, media + entertainment, data privacy and global packaging