Part Two of a Two-Part Series—Click Here to Read Part One
Workplace violence prevention is an ongoing practice that requires consistent and enduring effort. Even after security enhancements are implemented, monitoring, evaluation, and continuous improvement are necessary to achieve a long-lasting culture of safety in healthcare.
Part one of this series discussed why health leaders should prioritize workplace violence prevention and how to get started. In this article, we’ll explore how to maintain progress, handle crises, and ensure the right metrics are being captured to help you make data-driven decisions.
Maintaining Workplace Violence Prevention Momentum
Maintaining momentum on projects related to workplace violence prevention can be a key challenge. Too often, new programs start strong but fade as attention shifts elsewhere. Making safety a standing priority versus a temporary initiative can help sustain progress.
To ensure success, make a commitment to embed a safety focus into regular operations:
- Use daily huddles to raise safety issues and share updates
- Share success stories when incidents are prevented or resolved
- Establish learning boards to display safety goals and metrics
- Foster a culture of reporting for incidents of workplace violence and workplace injury
Approach the work pragmatically and enlist your workplace violence prevention committee to execute. Most importantly, communicate consistently and transparently—this helps staff see that safety is not a passing trend but a core value. Leveraging internal communications teams can ensure consistent updates are shared organization-wide.
When faced with competing priorities or deflating support, it helps to refocus attention on the most important asset a health system has—its people. Ensuring your workforce feels safe and protected will strengthen the foundation of any other initiatives or goals within the organization.
Leading Through Crisis
During moments of crisis, leaders can be exceptionally tested. This was true for me when a former health system experienced a hostage situation near the emergency department. While the immediate threat was managed, the broader experience highlighted communication gaps across the campus. As a leader onsite during the event, it underscored the importance of situational awareness, timely employee updates, and comprehensive communication plans.
Safety events ripple beyond the frontline responders—they can affect every individual within the facility. While high-profile events like the one I experienced are less frequent than the day-to-day safety incidents we are most accustomed to, they can magnify the impact violence has on the entire organization. We can’t underestimate the effect on the well-being of those exposed to violence or aggression on a daily basis.
The phrase “hope for the best, prepare for the worst” is deeply fitting for workplace safety in healthcare. As open-door organizations that serve all members of the community, it’s imperative to be prepared for anything. No health leader wants to be in a situation asking themselves, “Could I have done more?”. A proactive mindset on workplace violence prevention will ensure preparedness and offer peace of mind organization-wide.
Measuring What Matters
Because workplace safety is an evolving risk, workplace violence prevention is never truly finished. To continue maintaining and improving safety in healthcare, leaders must measure what matters most.
Completing risk assessments can help identify strengths and areas for improvement. This level of understanding is necessary before implementing new solutions or re-allocating resources. For some health systems, budget constraints may limit access to formal assessments. In these scenarios, informal feedback and basic workplace safety surveys can still provide critical insights. Health leaders can also leverage local law enforcement and emergency management teams to evaluate procedures and environmental measures and gather best practices.
Select meaningful metrics and track progress visibly. Leverage your Workplace Violence Prevention Committee to meet consistently and report to leadership. Utilize an automated reporting platform to ensure you always have accurate, real-time incident data when needed. With CrisisAlert wearable duress buttons, reporting is automated and accessible. A new incident report opens every time a user triggers an alert with their badge. This can help you easily visualize trends and high-risk areas.
By adjusting protocols when new risks arise and tracking improvement on safety initiatives, health leaders can ensure they’re staying proactive on workplace violence prevention.
Continuous improvement is key to building a long-lasting culture of safety in healthcare, and it starts from the top down. Healthcare is at a pivotal point. Leaders who prioritize and advocate for safety will be part of driving change for a safer environment for the entire healthcare workforce.
CENTEGIX is committed to empowering healthcare professionals to feel safer at work so they can focus on what matters most—delivering exceptional patient care. Click here to see how CENTEGIX can help you build a culture of safety in healthcare.
About the Author: Nancy-Shendell Falik is a healthcare executive and thought leader with over 30 years of experience enhancing operational excellence, system-wide alignment, and quality of patient care. She formerly served as President and SVP of Hospital Operations at Baystate Health, and as SVP of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Tufts Medical Center.
