No silence on ED Violence

Workplace Violence

Violence in emergency departments has reached epidemic levels and emergency nurses are
particularly vulnerable. In fact, the healthcare industry leads all other sectors in the incidence
of nonfatal workplace assaults, and the emergency department is a particularly vulnerable
setting. It’s currently a felony to assault an emergency nurse in the USA in 31 states, and they
are working hard to make it a felony in all 50 states.
ENA believes emergency nurses have the right to education and training related to the
recognition, management, and mitigation of workplace violence. The mitigation of workplace
violence requires a “zero tolerance” environment instituted and supported by hospital
leadership.
The resources below were designed to help emergency nurses conduct and participate in
research and quality improvement initiatives aimed at preventing, mitigating, and reporting
workplace violence.

No Silence on ED Violence

According to surveys by the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Emergency
Nurses Association, almost half of emergency physicians report being physically assaulted at
work, while about 70 percent of emergency nurses report being hit and kicked while on the
job. Furthermore, the vast majority – 80 percent – of emergency physicians say violence in the
emergency department harms patient care. Similarly, emergency nurses report that the
harmful consequences of experiencing a violent event at work interfere with the delivery of
high-quality patient care.
The frequency of violent attacks on nurses, physicians and patients in the emergency
departments in the USA is unconscionable and unacceptable. For medical professionals, being
assaulted in the emergency department must no longer be tolerated as “part of the job.”
In an effort to meaningfully minimize these attacks and protect emergency department
professionals, ENA and ACEP launched a new campaign called “No Silence on ED Violence.”
This joint effort aims to support, empower and provide the resources our respective members
need to effect safety improvements at their workplace, while engaging state and federal
policymakers, stakeholder organizations and the public at large to generate action to address
this crisis.
Link to campaign: https://www.facebook.com/NoSilenceonEDViolence/

As violence is also a growing problem in European emergency departments, the European
Society for Emergency Nursing is strongly supporting this campaign.