Workplace violence prevention: improving front-line health-care worker and patient safety

Abstract

There is perhaps no workplace hazard for which front-line health-care workers and patient safety are more closely linked than workplace violence. When workplace violence occurs, there are direct and indirect consequences for both staff and patients, including compromised patient care. The purpose of this article is to review risk factors for and interventions to reduce front-line health-care worker risk of injury, as well as overall strategies to improve worker and patient safety through comprehensive and participatory workplace violence-prevention programs. Numerous studies have documented risk factors and preventive factors for violence in the health-care setting. Considerably fewer have evaluated interventions designed to reduce these risks and subsequent injury. Front-line health-care workers should actively participate in developing and implementing programs to reduce the risk of injury to staff and patients.