Nurses Are on the Front Line of Violence in Healthcare
While workplace violence has long plagued healthcare settings, it is nurses who often bear the brunt of it. A 2024 nursing survey revealed that between 82% and 91% of frontline caregivers experienced or witnessed workplace violence in the past year.1 These arenโt just numbersโthey represent people navigating trauma while striving to care for others.
For years, violence in healthcare has been considered “part of the job,” especially in high-stress departments like emergency and behavioral health. That mindset is finally starting to shift, thanks in part to growing awareness and advocacy around workplace violence prevention. Still, culture change is slow, and many nurses continue to work in environments where safety feels like an afterthought rather than a priority.
The Cost of Unsafe Environments
When nurses donโt feel safeโphysically or emotionallyโthe entire healthcare system feels the impact. A lack of workplace safety triggers stress responses, erodes concentration, and fuels burnout. Prolonged exposure to unsafe conditions has been linked to anxiety, depression, and even PTSD2. Emotional safety is just as critical as physical safety. Nurses who feel unsupported or dismissed when raising concerns are more likely to disengage or leave the profession entirely.
In fact, one survey found that 37% of nurses considered leaving their roles due to workplace violence.1 With a shortage of healthcare workers projected by 2028, retaining skilled nurses must be a top priority.3 โA shortage of 100,000 healthcare workers will exacerbate existing disparities in healthcare access in certain states,โ said Dan Lezotte, a Partner in Mercerโs US Workforce Strategy and Analytics Practice. โIt is imperative that healthcare systems take action and develop strategies to address shortages so patient care is not impacted.โ
Supporting them includes more than preventing incidentsโit also requires post-event resources like debriefings, counseling, and peer support to help them process trauma and feel empowered to continue providing care.
Leadership Must Set the Tone
Creating a culture of safety starts at the top. Leadershipโfrom the boardroom to department headsโmust treat workplace violence prevention not as a compliance issue, but as a core pillar of organizational well-being.
Andrea Greco, Senior Vice President of Healthcare Safety at CENTEGIX, has emphasized the need for leadership-driven strategies: “If workplace violence prevention isnโt an organizational priority, meaningful change is unlikely to follow.” She points out that many hospitals strive to take safety seriously, but lack the tools, processes, or data to take real action.
Healthcare leaders can take the first step by acknowledging safety as a strategic imperative. That means funding solutions, empowering staff, and measuring progress through clear reporting. Nurses deserve to know their safety mattersโnot just during Nurses Week, but every day.
Why Timely Response Matters
In high-pressure situations, every second matters. Nurses often find themselves as the first to intervene in escalating events, whether calming a distraught patient or managing a combative family member. A slow response can allow a situation to worsen, putting everyone at risk.
Providing nurses with reliable tools to get helpโdiscreetly and quicklyโcan be the difference between escalation and de-escalation. In contrast to traditional wall-mounted panic buttons or desktop communications, wearable duress systems offer immediate and mobile access to assistance, wherever a nurse may be on campus.
Technology That Empowers Nurses
Platforms like CENTEGIX CrisisAlert are helping change the game. This wearable duress button system allows nurses and all healthcare workers to summon help immediately using a simple button press. That silent alert notifies responders, providing the staff memberโs name and exact location. The technology works both inside and outside the building, providing total campus coverage, and never requires cellular service or Wi-Fi to send an alert.
The adoption of such tools in healthcare boosts confidence among staff, fosters a sense of security, and helps organizations build a sustainable safety culture. Nurses who feel protected are more likely to stay in their roles, engage with their teams, and provide better patient care.
Prevention Must Be Proactive
Prevention goes beyond crisis response. It includes early identification of risks, culture-building, and transparent policies. Hospitals must provide regular de-escalation training, make safety tools easy to access, and reinforce zero-tolerance policies for aggressionโfrom patients, families, or even other colleagues.
Data plays a vital role in proactive prevention. With automated reporting features, organizations can track near misses, identify high-risk areas, and spot behavioral patterns before they lead to harm. This kind of data-informed decision-making enables leaders to shift from reacting to incidents to anticipating and mitigating them.
Practical Steps for Healthcare Leaders
To advance workplace violence prevention and support nurse safety, healthcare leaders should consider the following:
- Elevate safety as a strategic priority and communicate it clearly across the organization.
- Implement wearable duress button technology that ensures all employees can summon help anywhere, anytime.
- Offer regular de-escalation and trauma-informed training, tailored to each care setting.
- Create mechanisms for transparent reporting and data analysis to drive continuous improvement.
- Provide emotional and psychological support to nurses following violent incidents if they do occur.
- Empower frontline staff to help shape safety strategies and evaluate solutions.
This Nurses Week, Go Beyond Recognition
Cards, social posts, and cupcakes are all lovely ways to celebrate nurses. But they pale in comparison to the power of sustained action. Nurses need more than praiseโthey need protection.
By investing in workplace violence prevention and prioritizing nurse safety, healthcare leaders send a clear message: we value you, hear you, and are committed to ensuring you can thrive in your profession.
The future of nursing depends on how we care for our caregivers. Let this Nurses Week mark the moment your organization turns commitment into action.
CENTEGIX is committed to providing innovative safety technology that empowers all healthcare professionals to feel safe at work and get help when they need it. Click here to see how CENTEGIX can help you build a culture of safety in healthcare.
1 February 2024. HIGH AND RISING RATES OF WORKPLACE VIOLENCE AND EMPLOYER FAILURE TO IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE PREVENTION STRATEGIES IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE STAFFING CRISIS. National Nurses United. https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/sites/default/files/nnu/documents/0224_Workplace_Violence_Report.pdf
2 CDC (2023, October 24). Health Workers Face a Mental Health Crisis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 13, 2024, from https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/health-worker-mental-health/index.html
3 Mercer. (2024). Future of the U.S. healthcare industry: Labor market projections by 2028. Mercer LLC. Retrieved from https://www.mercer.com/
