Scenario 8.5.East Coast Health Services

Multiple Choice

Scenario 8.5.East Coast Health Services
Kyle Jon was a Health and Safety advisor for the East Coast Health Services (ECHS) .In addition to being responsible for the health,safety,and well-being of the community care facility healthcare workers,he was a member of the violence prevention steering committee responsible for the 2011 online "Violence in Healthcare" survey.A total of 11,791 healthcare workers responded,representing over two thirds of the ECHS workers and all the healthcare facilities.Results indicated that violence continues to be extremely prevalent in healthcare.Survey participants responded as outlined below:
· 74% had experienced some kind of violence in their workplace
· types of violence experienced: 64% swearing/verbal abuse,32% threats of assault,70% throwing/striking objects,40% intimidating gestures,27% spitting,18% physical assault,11% use of weapon
· 62% reported violence verbally,38% reported violence in writing
· 24% accepted violence as part of the job
· 81% felt patient illness or delays in attending to patient needs contributed to violence
· 53% felt insufficient staffing contributed to violence
What was most bothersome to him was that the nurses,licensed practical nurses and care aides in the community care facilities reported experiencing more violence than their colleagues at the hospitals and other healthcare facilities.Over 70% of home care providers felt unsafe in their workplaces and did not perceive their workplace control measures as effective in protecting them against violence.
ECHS has over 50 community care facilities.Violence was the leading cause of injury to ECHS home care workers and had resulted in over 1,000 injuries last year.Investigations into these violent incidents frequently revealed that the patient involved had a history,or a known risk,of violent behaviour that was not communicated to workers by way of assessments,charts,and care plans.
Over the past two years,there had been two incidents of violence by patients against staff at the Northern Rim residential care facility.One psychiatric patient was involved in firing a pellet gun that hit several employees and another irritable and agitated patient had thrown a worker into a wall and then punched him repeatedly after being asked to return to his room.
-Please refer to Scenario 8.5.What violence prevention effort should be targeted to eliminate,reduce and or control violence at ECHS community care facilities?

A) distribute a booklet on violence prevention to all healthcare employees
B) communicate and share patient information relating to the risks or triggers of violent behaviour
C) remove violent patients to another more appropriate facility
D) conduct a violence risk assessment
E) there is not a lot that can be done as it is a part of the job of healthcare workers