The majority of healthcare professionals said they have been victims of verbal and physical violence at the hands of colleagues and patients, according to a recent Medscape poll.
Researchers surveyed 2,389 healthcare workers, including nurses, physicians, pharmacists and other providers, about workplace violence following the death of Tracy Sin-Yee Tam, DO, who was killed in a shooting at New York City-based Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center earlier this year.
Here are six findings from the report.
1. The plurality (88 percent) of those surveyed said they have personally experienced verbal abuse, while 76 percent said they have personally experienced intimidation.
2. In comparison, 92 percent and 81 percent of respondents said they've witnessed verbal abuse and intimidation in the workplace, respectively.
3. More than half (55 percent) of respondents said they had seen a physical assault occur in the workplace.
4. Roughly half of all nurses surveyed said they were victims of assault, compared with physicians (36 percent), pharmacists (18 percent) and other providers (24 percent).
5. While 77 percent of nurses in emergency medicine settings said they had experienced physical violence, nearly 60 percent of emergency room nurses said they sometimes, rarely or never filed a report detailing the incident.
6. Almost 70 percent of respondents said they received no or minimal training on how to cope with workplace violence.
To view the report, click here.