Faster Response the Focus Amid Growing Concerns About Healthcare Workplace Violence
For healthcare workers facing a threatening situation, seconds can matter. Hospitals have security teams, emergency procedures and de-escalation training—but what happens when an employee needs help right now? One emerging solution is wearable safety technology that can send an alert, share a worker’s location and connect them with help.
Tyler Charuhaus, the Director of Client Engagement at Silent Beacon, tells the Talk of Delmarva that such scenarios might include a nurse being threatened by a patient, a home health worker entering an unfamiliar residence alone, or a behavioral health employee facing an escalating situation in a hallway or parking lot. Workplace violence remains a major safety concern in healthcare. More than 81% of nurses reported experiencing workplace violence in 2023, and nearly half said such incidents were becoming more frequent in their units.
When such incidents occur, a quick response is critical…
The goal is to make sure healthcare workers have the support and resources they need to respond quickly when a dangerous situation develops. According to industry data, healthcare workers face workplace violence at five times the rate of workers in other industries. Nearly one in four nurses report being physically assaulted on the job, and healthcare accounts for nearly 75% of all workplace violence incidents in the U.S.
Workplace violence has become a growing concern across the healthcare industry, putting both healthcare workers and patients at risk. One technology being used to address the problem is a wearable panic button designed to quickly get help. Tyler Charuhaus tells the Talk of Delmarva how the technology can help provide location information and maintain communication during an emergency.
That continuous location broadcast piggybacks off the cell phone it’s connected to, while GPS is activated to provide their location. The technology is designed to give emergency contacts and responders a clearer picture of where someone is during a crisis — helping speed up the response.
When we talk about workplace violence in healthcare, there are some situations in which a worker might need immediate help…
In terms of why every second is so important in these situations and how response time is the missing metric in healthcare.
The wearable panic buttons differ from the traditional ways people call for help in these types of settings, which is not to discourage poeple from using what they are comfortable with…
In terms of how quickly help can be dispatched…
In terms of how the technology can help locate a worker whether in the hospital, outside the facility or in a patient’s home…
The technology is not a replacement for what has worked but can be used to supplement what is already available…
This technology is not just used for workplace violence, but other emergencies as well…
Additional Information:
Workplace violence continues to be one of healthcare’s most urgent workforce safety issues.
More than 81% of nurses experienced workplace violence in 2023, and nearly half say it’s increasing in their units. This isn’t an outlier, it’s systemic:
- Healthcare workers face workplace violence at 5x the rate of other industries
- Nearly 1 in 4 nurses report being physically assaulted on the job
- Healthcare accounts for nearly 75% of all workplace violence incidents in the U.S.
The issue isn’t awareness. It’s response time.
A nurse may be threatened by a patient. A home health worker may enter an unfamiliar residence alone. A behavioral health employee may face an escalating situation in a hallway or parking lot. A hospital staff member may experience a medical emergency in an area where help is not immediately visible.
In these moments, the outcome can depend on whether the worker can quickly call for help, whether safety teams know exactly where to respond, and whether emergency contacts, supervisors, security or 911 are alerted without delay.
One safety approach gaining traction: wearable panic buttons, like Silent Beacon, that allow people to call 911, alert emergency contacts, share live GPS, and enable two-way communication when activated.