In September of 2015, one hospital patient managed to attack 14 nurses and staff members, most of whom sustained injuries. The incident began when a nurse informed the patient that in order to receive food, he would have to first take his medicine. Incensed by this, the man threw a cup of ice at the nurse and began yelling at her, threatening her and other staff members. The nurse left the room and made sure to warn her fellow coworkers to vacate the area.
After exiting his hospital room, the man ran through the halls trying to obtain a key card, while simultaneously attacking anyone nearby. The list of violent behavior from the patient is extensive:
- He punched several nurses and staff members with closed fists.
- He chased after nurses and staff with a hole-puncher.
- He swung restraints with metal hooks at nurses and staff.
- He elbowed employees in the face.
- He threw objects at nurses.
The man was released from the hospital and has been taken into custody with several charges of third-degree assault and battery.
It’s not hard to imagine that this type of episode could leave the nurses and staff feeling scared to come back to work. Even without being attacked, nurses are injured on the job all the time. This is the unfortunate state of nursing today.
The State Of Nursing
From emergencies to hospice care, from cancer to the common cold, nurses are there to take care of those who need it most. Most people can recall a time they visited a doctor’s office and it is always a nurse who sees them first, listens to them, and makes them feel heard. Even if nurses have to use equipment like this https://www.butterflynetwork.com/emergency-ultrasound to help guide a needle in, they are pleasant and professional at all times when doing so, and enable the doctors and specialists to do their jobs.
Nurses are the largest group of health professionals. Florence Nightingale, arguably the most famous nurse of all time, once said “The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm.” But what about the nurses?
Now more than ever, the concern over nurse health and well-being while on the job is growing. With over 35,000 nurses who suffer just back injuries a year, it should come as no surprise that OSHA started an initiative to prevent injuries to healthcare workers in 2015.
The rate and frequency of injuries to nurses is, to borrow a medical term, an epidemic. Let’s talk about how bad this epidemic is. 