July 7, 2014 – Real Danger

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Anchor lead: Shootings are not a concern in hospitals, but violence is, Elizabeth Tracey reports

When shootings hit the news we all worry about safety.  Gabor Kelen, director of emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins, says his recent study shows the hospital is one place most people don’t have to worry about gun violence, but violence of other types abounds.

Kelen: From a shooting perspective it’s not like there’s no risk, but we calculated it to be actually less than a lightning strike. The real issue in hospitals, particularly emergency departments, IUCs, areas of psychiatry and other places, is violence to staff.  Not shooting but punching, kicking, spitting, biting, verbal abuse, it really makes the staff scared and it completely wears them down. That type of violence is four times more likely in a hospital than it is in other industries.   :32

Kelen says strategies to deescalate potentially violent situations are being deployed.  At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.