A 2018 survey by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) reported that eight out of 10 ED physicians believe violence has harmed patient care in their facility, and of those surveyed, more than half report that other patients have been physically harmed. That same study reported that 47 percent of ED physicians have been physically assaulted while at work—and 60 percent of those assaults happened in the last year.

ACEP continues to show commitment to workplace safety with the rerelease of its WPV policy. The policy states ACEP “believes that workplace violence is a preventable and significant public health problem…” Without increased safety measures and enforced state legislation, providers are forced to operate in dangerous environments, effecting the level of care they can provide to their patients.

But there’s still hope.

By implementing security systems, developing written protocols, providing staff with continued education, and encouraging reporting culture, hospital staff practice proactive WPV management instead of reacting to incidents as they occur.

Collective Medical’s collaboration platform allows providers to document incidents of violence—including physical, verbal, and sexual assault, theft, self-harm, and infectious diseases—then flags them for future encounters. When a patient with a history of violence returns to the hospital or presents at any point of care, Collective immediately pushes a notification to hospital and security staff, giving them the opportunity to prevent another incident.

Hospitals around the country are using Collective to protect hospital staff and other patients. For example, according to an article by Health IT Analytics, CHI St. Anthony in Pendleton, Oregon has used the platform to increase its WPV reporting rates by 20 percent. This increase qualified St. Anthony for additional funding to establish an in-house security team, ultimately increasing workplace safety by reducing response times—or in many cases preventing incidents altogether.

Click here for more information on how Collective provides a proactive approach to workplace safety.