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Workplace violence is a difficult subject in health care. It’s an ongoing issue we don’t like to talk about — but we should.

Acts of violence against health care workers aren’t new, however, it’s getting worse. The reports that the rate of reported injuries from intentional violent attacks against medical professionals grew by 63% from 2011 to 2018.

Unfortunately, this trend has intensified since the start of the pandemic. According to a 2022 poll by the , 85% of emergency physicians reported an increase in violence over the last five years. Two-thirds reported being physically assaulted in the past year, 98% of which were committed by patients.

Approximately three in 10 assaults on physicians also involved family or friends of the patient being treated. Since 2018, the number of physicians who missed work due to injury increased by 50%.

Sanford Bemidji, like most health care organizations, has also seen an increase in violent behavior within our facilities. In 2022 alone, our employees reported 412 incidents of verbal and physical violence. These incidents have an impact on the staff’s physical and mental health as well as the safety of those around them.

At Sanford Bemidji, we are committed to partnering with our employees to reduce workplace violence and the hazards associated with it. Safety and security risk assessments are completed for all units and areas of Sanford Bemidji. These are reviewed annually by an interdisciplinary team of frontline and management staff on our Environmental and Employee Safety Committees.

Both committees follow the framework developed by the Minnesota Hospital Association, Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Nursing Association and The Joint Commission to identify workplace hazards, evaluate risks and provide controls for a safe environment.

A law enforcement/behavioral health workgroup meets monthly with the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Department and Bemidji Police Department. These discussions identify hazards resulting from violent behavior, as well as best practices that will minimize the risk of violence.

Our Environmental and Employee Safety Committees continually reevaluate the usage of surveillance cameras, card reader door access locks, panic alarms, patient restraints and other security tools, where needed. Over the next few months, Sanford is piloting a passive weapons detection system to determine if this is a system we want to implement at hospital and clinic entrances.

In addition to staffing a 24/7 security team trained in the use of handcuffs and conducted electrical weapons (CEW, taser), our Behavioral Health Rapid Response Team is also available to provide immediate assistance to staff who are confronted with a combative or agitated inpatient whose behavior is escalating. The team consists of individuals trained in de-escalation techniques, each with responsibilities to assist in diffusing the situation.

Education in workplace violence prevention and management of aggressive behavior training is provided to all staff annually. Employees are trained to be aware of signs of potentially violent and aggressive situations by recognizing agitated behavior, such as self-reporting, pacing, swearing, yelling and defensive body language. Staff also discuss patients/visitors at high risk for violence and potential situations at the patient care level through department daily safety huddles and patient handoffs.

As a part of our safety culture, all staff are expected and supported by leadership to report these behaviors with our security team, employee health or through our event reporting system as well as law enforcement, if they choose. Support and resources are provided to staff members through our Employee Assistance Program, which provides 24/7 access to counseling services, nurse and clinician peer coaching and a comprehensive set of professional support services.

Creating a safe and secure environment is an extensive and ongoing process. We do all of this to keep our staff, patients and visitors safe. A hospital stay or clinic visit can be stressful. The best strategy to reduce workplace violence is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Everyone can help reduce workplace violence against health care workers. Please, be kind and patient with our staff as we are here to help.

If you observe violent behaviors or feel threatened, please notify a Sanford Health employee immediately. Anyone can voice concerns, report complaints or ask for assistance regarding hospital policies and procedures by contacting Bemidji patient relations. Call (218) 333-5996 or email patientrelationsbemidji@sanfordhealth.org.

Karla Eischens, RPh, is the President and CEO of Sanford Health’s Bemidji region located in northern Minnesota. She can be reached at (218) 333-5264 or  karla.eischens@sanfordhealth.org.