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Hospitals Meet Security Challenges with Integrated Security and Facility Solutions | 5

White paper

The statistics regarding crime and violence in hospitals is staggering, andclearly indicate that security is a concern or hospitals around the world. For

instance, the International Association or Healthcare Security & Saety (IAHSS)

2010 Crime and Security Trends Survey2 reports our categories o criminal

incidents simple assault, larceny, vandalism, and burglaryaccounted or

91 percent o all reported crimes in US hospitals in 2010, nearly doubling since

the last survey in 2004.

Additionally, a 2011 study by the Emergency Nurses Association reports that

rom January 2010 to January 2011, more than hal (53.4 percent) o nurses

reported experiencing verbal abuse and more than one in ten (12.9 percent)

reported experiencing physical violence over a 7-day period. Patients were

the perpetrators in nearly all incidents o physical violence (97.8 percent) and

verbal abuse (92.3 percent). The study also ound that a patients room was

the most dangerous place or an emergency nurse, with more than our out o

fve incidents (82 percent) o physical violence occurring in that location.3

The National Observatory or Violence in Healthcare (ONVH) in France reported

that rising incidences o violence recorded in previous years continued in

2009 with a 38 percent increase in the number o incidents reported. Detailed

reporting shows that 45 percent o recorded incidents are categorised as

physical violence against a person, and most oten occur against the

caregiver. Finally, 15 percent o reported incidents are crimes against property.

In 2010, The American Society or Industrial Security (ASIS) published a

white paper4 showing that in the United Kingdom and Ireland, a study o

310 accident and emergency departments revealed patients were the most

common assailant and nurses the most common victim. In addition, the

United Kingdoms National Health Service (NHS) reports that approximately 25

percent o their medical sta experience personal crime. They also estimate

that violence costs their hospitals around 100,000 GBP per year in security,

time o or aected sta, and legal costs.

In Australia, one study shows that violence generated rom clients, patients,

visitors, and relatives accounts or 56 percent o the violence reported in public

hospitals and 41 percent o the violence reported in private hospitals.5

To address concerns and issues in workplace violence, in June 2010, the

Joint Commission published Sentinel Event Alert #456, regarding violence

in the healthcare setting, which calls or each healthcare acility to have a

documented workplace violence program and process.

Healthcare security issues today

2 Mikow-Porto, VA & Smith, T. The IAHSS 2010 crime and security trends survey. J Healthc Prot

Manage. 2010;26(2):1-23.3 Emergency Nurses Association. Emergency Department Violence Surveillance Study. 2011.4 ASIS Healthcare Security Council. Managing Disruptive Behavior and Workplace Violence in

Healthcare. 2011.5 University o Southern Queensland, Australia, 2004.6 Patient Saety Advisory Group, The Joint Commission. Preventing Violence in the Health Care

Setting. Sentinal Event Alert, issue 45, June 3, 2010.