Majority of Respondents to Second Annual Survey of Health Care Professionals Fall Short of Benchmark for Workplace Safety

Sixty-four percent of organizations do not provide frequent de-escalation training and less than half think their staff are comfortable addressing a workplace violence crisis.

MILWAUKEE, April 23, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- According to the second annual Workplace Violence Prevention Training Annual Report for health care ? which provides insight into the state of workplace violence prevention training in health care ? the majority of health care professionals surveyed do not feel confident in their training, nor do they feel prepared to face the violence that continues to rise in their health care organizations. When grouping survey responses for the report, few organizations stand out as leaders for workplace safety. The majority fall short of that benchmark, leaving them at risk of an unsafe work environment.

Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), the industry-leading provider of de-escalation training for health care organizations, facilitates the survey and annual report. Survey responses show that many health care organizations report some level of training in workplace violence prevention but, according to responses to the survey, most health care professionals still feel unprepared, indicating significant room for improvement in safety training.

"The unfortunate truth this report shows is that most health care organizations are unprepared to manage the risks of the workplace violence they face," says Tony Jace, CEO, CPI. "However, that presents a clear opportunity to take actionable steps to reach the benchmark measured in this report ? to become leaders in workplace safety and violence prevention. As health care organizations continue to adopt and implement workplace violence prevention strategies, responses to the survey indicate opportunities for improvement, allowing health care leaders to mitigate risk and improve safety system-wide."

Among the key findings in the report are training gaps within the industry in workplace safety and preparedness to address workplace violence, including:

• Health professionals lack confidence in their organization's workplace safety and violence prevention policies.
• Health systems have made some incremental progress in establishing workplace violence committees but lack clearly defined policies and system-wide training.
• Most health systems do not provide frequent de-escalation training, and their staff does not feel comfortable addressing a crisis.
• There are opportunities to improve training implementation, role definition, and system-wide collaboration.

THE BENCHMARK: The 2023 Health Care Industry Workplace Violence Prevention Index Score

The report summarizes respondents' feelings around the safety of their workplace and their workplace's preparedness to resolve conflicts. Assessing grouped responses provides a benchmark of organizations that rank as leaders in creating workplace safety ? those with above average confidence in their training and preparedness to respond to workplace violence. Measuring all responses against that benchmark shows the opportunity health care organizations have to close the gap and improve their workplace violence prevention programming.

• The benchmark for an effective and sustainable workplace violence program is set at a score exceeding 76.
• The 2023 Health Care Industry Workplace Violence Prevention Index score is 55 ? 21 points short of the benchmark required to meaningfully mitigate risk.

Organizing survey results into segments enables respondents to pinpoint areas for improvement and prioritize system-wide interventions accordingly. Until organizations reach a score of 76+ ? the "Leaders" benchmark ? their employees are at a higher risk of working in an unsafe environment.

THE SURVEY: Workplace Violence Prevention Training Index Survey

CPI conducted this quantitative research to assess the state of workplace violence prevention training in health care, and to support greater awareness of what is required to facilitate conflict resolution preparedness. The 2024 Workplace Violence Prevention Training Annual Report for health care includes assessments and results from the survey, with accessible recommendations to help health care professionals improve safety so they can keep their focus on patient outcomes.

The Workplace Violence Prevention Training Index survey remains open to gather real-time data that will help health care professionals understand how they compare to others in their field ? measuring themselves against the benchmark of leaders ? and how they can enhance safety in their workplaces.

Between January 2023 and January 2024, 1,196 health care professionals responded to the survey conducted by CPI. Respondents had a median of 10 years of experience in health care and worked in hospitals with a median size of 92 beds.

To learn more and assess your own health system's safety and preparedness, visit the survey.

About Crisis Prevention Institute

CPI is the industry-leading provider of de-escalation training for health care organizations. Workplace violence experts partner with health systems to implement customized training solutions that create an environment of safety, where all staff have the skills to confidently recognize and prevent incidents of violence. Since 1980, CPI has helped train more than 17 million people to create stronger cultures of safety in workplaces around the world. They also provide guidance to help our partners review, reassess, and reinvest in their workplace violence prevention programs. The philosophy relating to Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security(SM) expands throughout the continuum of interventions that are necessary when working toward reduction or elimination of restraint use. For more information: https://www.crisisprevention.com/

Media Contact

Rebecca Eckhart, Crisis Prevention Institute, 1 3127207666, [email protected], https://www.crisisprevention.com/

SOURCE Crisis Prevention Institute