Violence in healthcare

Violence in healthcare is recognized as a significant workplace issue worldwide, with nurses recognized as the profession at most significant risk. This study aimed to explore nurses' and midwives' experiences of violence in different clinical areas, work sectors, and geographical regions. A cross-sectional design was employed to survey the membership of the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association about their experiences with violence from patients and their friends and relatives in their workplace. A total of 3416 participants returned a completed questionnaire, and more than three-quarters of them had experienced an episode of violence in the preceding six months. Participants working in the public health sector reported significantly more physically violent behaviors than their colleagues in the private sector. No statistically significant difference between the rates of violence (overall) was identified between different geographical areas. Violent behaviors were reported across all clinical settings, with emergency departments, mental health, and drug and alcohol settings reporting the highest proportion of episodes. The results of this extensive study highlight the high levels of violence that nurses and midwives experience in the workplace across all sectors of employment, geographical regions, and clinical settings. According to the crime statistics from the FBI, more than 1,200 cases of human trafficking were reported in the United States in 2017, a number which is likely far less than the actual number of victims (Callahan, 2019). Amy Farrell, a professor who studies human trafficking, says that the major obstacles to combatting this problem are the very structure of crime reporting and the unfortunate misclassification of potential trafficking cases (2019). Farrell believes law enforcement identifies less than 10% of these victims. The first step for nurses is to accept the dreadful truth that trafficking occurs in our backyard and no town, city, or country is immune. Some, RN, says that it is a wildly profitable business, one of the fastest-growing industries, and tied with illegal arms deals as the second-largest criminal industry (2011). Know the statistics in your state and, if you are like me, it will motivate you to be on the highest level of alert. The stats were horrifying, and one site which provides state-specific information is https://humantraffickinghotline.org/states. The second step is vigilance. No one sign identifies a trafficking victim, but there are several indicators to watch out for: lack of money, accompanied by someone who will not allow them to speak or will not leave them alone, signs of malnutrition or drug addiction, signs of physical abuse or neglect, suspicious tattoos that may be a brand, distressed behavior, a story that makes little sense, living arrangements with their employer. They do not address lack of documentation, scanty clothing, sexually transmitted diseases, jaw or neck problems, failure to keep appointments, and strain injuries (Sabella, 2011; Mullaly, 2017). We are ideally positioned to identify these victims, and it is our moral obligation to do so. Also, for the love of God, never disbelieve someone sitting before you if they report this because we are mandated to follow through if someone confesses their safety is compromised. That brings me to step three: how we must intervene. The victim's safety is our number one priority, so ensure their immediate security first. They say this once is not enough, so that I will say it three times. Document, document, and document. Try to write everything you assessed and record as much as you can from the potential victim's conversation. Most agencies have forms and if yours does, use those as well. Next, share what you have found with your facility's administrator, risk manager, or whoever is laid out in your policy. Of course, the National Human Trafficking Hotline can be called or texted. This number should be posted in a prominent place. If law enforcement is involved, work closely with them. If your facility has unclear guidelines, or no guidelines at all, in place to deal with this situation, encourage policy/procedure formation. One of the most shameful statistics I encountered revealed that roughly 75% of trafficked women were seen by a provider, including nurses, in their captivity (Green, 2016). What a staggering responsibility we have! Our patients, and we, cannot afford to miss these opportunities because, typically, these victims are not allowed access to health care unless it is so dire that they cannot perform their purpose. So, let us be vigilant in our practice and motivated to end suffering. References: Callahan, M. (2019, August 16). Human trafficking in the U.S. is a much bigger problem than we think. Retrieved October 12, 2019, https://news.northeastern.edu/2019/08/16/human-trafficking-in-the-us-is-a-much-biggerproblem-than-we-think/. Green, C. (2016, January 13). Human trafficking: Preparing for a unique patient population. Retrieved October 12, 2019, from https://www.americannursetoday.com/humantrafficking-preparing-unique-patient-population/. Mullaly, L. M. (2017, April 3). Human trafficking in the U.S. is real! Here is how nurses can help. Retrieved October 12, 2019, from https://awhonnconnections.org/2017/04/03/human