141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

285947
Injuries and costs associated with patient-to-worker violence in hospitals

Wednesday, November 6, 2013 : 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM

Judith Arnetz, PhD, MPH , Department of Family Medicine & Public Health Sciences, Division of Occupational & Environmental Health; Dept. of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala Sweden, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Deanna Aranyos , Occupational Health Services, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI
Mark Upfal, MD, MPH , Occupational Health Services, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI
Jim Russell , Occupational Health Services, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI
Mark Luborsky, PhD , Institute of Gerontology; Dept. of Neurobiology, Caring Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Joel Ager, PhD , School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Lydia Hamblin , School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Division of Occupational and Environmental Health; Department of Psychology, Industrial-Organizational, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Lynnette Essenmacher, MPH , Occupational Health Services, Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI
Background and Objectives: Approximately 60% of all nonfatal workplace assaults and violent acts in the United States occur in the health care and social assistance industry, with 22% of incidents occurring in hospitals. The majority of these violent acts are perpetrated by patients (Type II workplace violence). However, most hospitals lack reliable methods for measuring the injuries and costs associated with patient-to-worker violence. This study examined the injuries and costs of Type II violence in a metropolitan hospital system over a one-year period. Methods: Data was drawn from the system-wide database of reported incidents of workplace violence within the hospital system (n=15,000 employees). Analyses were conducted on the total sample of 214 Type II incidents reported by employees in 2011. Injury rates were calculated as the number of injuries per 100 full-time equivalents (FTEs). Total direct costs were calculated based on loss time insurance claims in addition to future estimates of cost by a third party insurance administrator. Results: The rate of injury from Type II violence for 2011 was 2.3/100 FTEs. Of the 214 recorded incidents, 72 (34%) had loss time claims. The total amount paid plus future reserves for these 72 events was $249,739, with a rate of $2,969/100 FTEs across the 7 hospitals within the system. Conclusions: One-year injury rates and costs of Type II violence were substantial and reflect the impact of workplace violence on hospital worker health and productivity. Such data may offer indications of the need for specific violence interventions in hospital settings.

Learning Areas:
Occupational health and safety
Provision of health care to the public

Learning Objectives:
Identify the one-year rate and cost of injury resulting from Type II workplace violence in a general hospital setting Discuss the importance of studying injury-related costs as an indicator of productivity loss and the need for specific violence prevention efforts.

Keywords: Occupational Health, Violence Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have conducted research on workplace violence in the healthcare sector for the past 20 years and am the PI on this project on workplace violence prevention in hospitals.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.