December 10, 2018 – Reducing Violence

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:05 — 1.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Anchor lead: Nurses are taking the lead in reducing violence against health care providers, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Violence against health care providers is a big problem that just keeps getting bigger, federal data indicate. Now nurses are taking the lead in trying to bring awareness to the issue as well as craft solutions. Patricia Davidson, dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, comments.

Davidson: This needs intervention at the level of the public when they come, skills for healthcare providers in how to de-escalate in challenging situations, as well as how do we configure the environment of emergency departments to somehow create calm and decrease that sense of anguish that goes when you walk into an emergency department.  :27

Davidson says training for everyone who comes into contact with patients is essential, and notes that other skills are routinely taught and assessed, so conflict resolution should be included. She says such training needs to start in high risk situations like the ED but should be employed throughout the hospital. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.