Violence against healthcare workers made national headlines in March after the American Hospital Association warned of an alleged coordinated, multicity terrorist attack on hospitals in the coming weeks. The FBI found that the threat was not credible, but the incident brought violence prevention back to the forefront.
Healthcare workers are five times more likely to suffer a workplace violence injury than workers overall. A 2024 study found emergency nurses experienced verbal or physical violence daily, but often chose not to report it. When asked, nurses said they did not report workplace violence incidents for the following reasons: “nothing will change” (24%), “event was not severe enough” (21%), “part of the job” (15%), “electronic reporting system is time-consuming/complicated” (9%), “lack of time” (6%), “don’t know how” (3%) and “lack of leadership support” (3%).
Yet just 61.4% of hospitals reported having a workplace violence prevention initiative, according to 2021 data from the AHA, the most recent available.
More systems are reacting to the need for better security, with many installing metal detectors, hiring more security personnel and installing cameras, among other measures. In the last year, governments, governing bodies and associations have also started taking more steps to help address workplace violence.
1. Eight states are considering or passing legislation around workplace violence in 2025, including Alaska, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia and Washington. These laws would provide increased protections for victims of violence, expand criminal penalties and require hospitals to create and enact stronger violence prevention plans.
2. The Joint Commission said its new and revised workplace violence prevention requirements will apply to all accredited assisted living communities, nursing care centers and office-based surgery practices as of July 1. These requirements address safety concerns for patients, staff and visitors and align with similar updates for behavioral health care and human services organizations, critical access hospitals, home care organizations and hospitals.
3. The American Hospital Association and the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit partnered to create resources to mitigate targeted violence in healthcare settings, including threat assessment and prevention strategies.
4. At the system level, hospitals are exploring better ways to track workplace violence incidents. A recent study at an unnamed academic medical center created a quick-response code on wall flyers and name badge stickers that allowed nurses to scan the code using their phone. Two months after implementation, the tool recorded 94 quick response code scans and 59 workplace violence reports, a 1,080% increase.
5. After reviewing workplace violence in healthcare for nearly a decade, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said it would issue a proposed rule in late 2024. As part of its request for information, OSHA received information primarily from healthcare employers, workers and other subject matter experts on the impacts of violence and prevention strategies. The request for information closed in 2023, but the rule has not yet been finalized. The new standard would cost an estimated $1.22 billion a year for compliance across more than 300,000 organizations. The rule would affect hospitals, home health, EMTs and residential and behavioral care facilities.
