Groenewold MR, Sarmiento RFR, Vanoli K, Raudabaugh W, Nowlin S, Gomaa A. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2018; 61(2): 157-166.
Affiliation
Alice Hamilton Laboratory, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations and Field Studies, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, Ohio.
BACKGROUND: Workplace violence is a substantial occupational hazard for healthcare workers in the United States.
METHODS: We analyzed workplace violence injury surveillance data submitted by hospitals participating in the Occupational Health Safety Network (OHSN) from 2012 to 2015.
RESULTS: Data were frequently missing for several important variables. Nursing assistants (14.89, 95%CI 10.12-21.91) and nurses (8.05, 95%CI 6.14-10.55) had the highest crude workplace violence injury rates per 1000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. Nursing assistants' (IRR 2.82, 95%CI 2.36-3.36) and nurses' (IRR 1.70, 95%CI 1.45-1.99) adjusted workplace violence injury rates were significantly higher than those of non-patient care personnel. On average, the overall rate of workplace violence injury among OHSN-participating hospitals increased by 23% annually during the study period.
CONCLUSION: Improved data collection is needed for OHSN to realize its full potential. Workplace violence is a serious, increasingly common problem in OHSN-participating hospitals. Nursing assistants and nurses have the highest injury risk.