Since violence against emergency department staff impacts professional stress and burnout, absenteeism, turnover, and efficiency of operations, hospitals can t afford not to try to mitigate the problem.
A recent survey of emergency personnel indicates that violence is increasing and taking a physical and emotional toll on professionals and thus compromising the care that patients are getting.
In a national poll conducted this summer by the American College of Emergency Physicians, around 85% of emergency physicians reported a rise in ED violence in recent years, which they say has negatively impacted patient care and doctors.