According to a recent study carried out by the National Nurses United union, 31 percent of the hospital nurses throughout the country have reported significant and concerning rise in rate of violence in the workplace, up from 22 percent in March 2021. Despite the rise in violence, the medical and health care industry is facing staff shortage and burnout caused by the heavy work schedules caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Frontline workers in America, who were once labelled ‘heroes’ of the pandemic, are now dealing with heightened violence and aggressiveness at their work place. Unruly passengers are at an all-time high, according to flight attendants who took part in the survey. Shoppers have even murdered retail employees who tried to enforce local mask mandates.
Hospitals have become the most dangerous places to work, despite the fact that they are places of healing.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States, hospitals reported more than 221,000 work-related injuries in 2019, a rate nearly above two times the national average for all private companies.
Nurses who spend most of their time at the bedside of a patient, are often the ones who take the brunt of the abuse. According to a 2019 survey by the American Nurses Association, one out of every four nurses gets physically abused in their workspace. According to a 2014 survey of more than 5,000 nurses, assaults vary from cursing to grabbing and kicking.
According to a 2020 NBC study, 77 percent of the hospitals in California were reported making no safety measures against abuses after receiving assault reports. The assaults on healthcare personnel resulted in bruising, fractures and cuts. Most of the assaults took place predominantly in the rooms of in-patients and emergency rooms.
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