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A survey of workplace violence across 65 U.S. emergency departments.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Kansagra, SM; Rao, SR; Sullivan, AF; Gordon, JA; Magid, DJ; Kaushal, R; Camargo, CA; Blumenthal, D
Published in: Acad Emerg Med
December 2008

OBJECTIVES: Workplace violence is a concerning issue. Healthcare workers represent a significant portion of the victims, especially those who work in the emergency department (ED). The objective of this study was to examine ED workplace violence and staff perceptions of physical safety. METHODS: Data were obtained from the National Emergency Department Safety Study (NEDSS), which surveyed staff across 69 U.S. EDs including physicians, residents, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. The authors also conducted surveys of key informants (one from each site) including ED chairs, medical directors, nurse managers, and administrators. The main outcome measures included physical attacks against staff, frequency of guns or knives in the ED, and staff perceptions of physical safety. RESULTS: A total of 5,695 staff surveys were distributed, and 3,518 surveys from 65 sites were included in the final analysis. One-fourth of surveyed ED staff reported feeling safe sometimes, rarely, or never. Key informants at the sampled EDs reported a total of 3,461 physical attacks (median of 11 attacks per ED) over the 5-year period. Key informants at 20% of EDs reported that guns or knives were brought to the ED on a daily or weekly basis. In multivariate analysis, nurses were less likely to feel safe "most of the time" or "always" when compared to other surveyed staff. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that violence and weapons in the ED are common, and nurses were less likely to feel safe than other ED staff.

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Published In

Acad Emerg Med

DOI

EISSN

1553-2712

Publication Date

December 2008

Volume

15

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1268 / 1274

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Weapons
  • Violence
  • United States
  • Security Measures
  • Occupational Exposure
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Internship and Residency
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Kansagra, S. M., Rao, S. R., Sullivan, A. F., Gordon, J. A., Magid, D. J., Kaushal, R., … Blumenthal, D. (2008). A survey of workplace violence across 65 U.S. emergency departments. Acad Emerg Med, 15(12), 1268–1274. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00282.x
Kansagra, Susan M., Sowmya R. Rao, Ashley F. Sullivan, James A. Gordon, David J. Magid, Rainu Kaushal, Carlos A. Camargo, and David Blumenthal. “A survey of workplace violence across 65 U.S. emergency departments.Acad Emerg Med 15, no. 12 (December 2008): 1268–74. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00282.x.
Kansagra SM, Rao SR, Sullivan AF, Gordon JA, Magid DJ, Kaushal R, et al. A survey of workplace violence across 65 U.S. emergency departments. Acad Emerg Med. 2008 Dec;15(12):1268–74.
Kansagra, Susan M., et al. “A survey of workplace violence across 65 U.S. emergency departments.Acad Emerg Med, vol. 15, no. 12, Dec. 2008, pp. 1268–74. Pubmed, doi:10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00282.x.
Kansagra SM, Rao SR, Sullivan AF, Gordon JA, Magid DJ, Kaushal R, Camargo CA, Blumenthal D. A survey of workplace violence across 65 U.S. emergency departments. Acad Emerg Med. 2008 Dec;15(12):1268–1274.
Journal cover image

Published In

Acad Emerg Med

DOI

EISSN

1553-2712

Publication Date

December 2008

Volume

15

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1268 / 1274

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Weapons
  • Violence
  • United States
  • Security Measures
  • Occupational Exposure
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Internship and Residency