In healthcare, safety is often focused on patients, ensuring they are comfortable, comfortable, protected, and kept private. But for many healthcare professionals, “Will I get hurt today?” is a question they often ask.
Violence in health care has become a crisis–the leadership cannot ignore it. In fact, in 2022, nearly 17,000 hospital workers suffered non-fatal injuries or illnesses associated with workplace violence, according to the American Hospital Association.
Despite the persistent problems of workplace violence, the response is still dispersed and reacted. Many organizations are trapped in solutions that are underreported, cultural normalization, budgetary constraints and isolation.
It's time to reset.
Understand the violence crisis in the healthcare workplace
Today’s healthcare workers are five times more violent than other industries. According to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), in 2024, 91% of emergency physicians said they or colleagues had been threatened or attacked in the past year. In 2023, the National Nurses Federation found that more than 80% of nurses have suffered workplace violence in the past twelve months.
It is increasingly worrying that these incidents are often underestimated, fired or simply tolerated – this should not be done. Whether due to stigmatization or fear of impact, many healthcare workers choose not to report events, resulting in misalignment between data and reality.
This culture of tolerance is dangerous and can have an adverse effect on medical staff. According to an AMN Healthcare 2025 survey of registered nurses, only 39% of nurses said they plan to continue their current roles and organizational work, mainly because 58% feel burned, the result of continuing to work in high-stress or violent environments.
As healthcare leaders seek to improve retention, satisfaction and quality of care, they need to ensure that employees feel physically and emotionally safe and supportive.
Reset security priorities and execution
Healthcare organizations that really want to promote a safe environment must place prevention of workplace violence at the strategic backbone of the organization’s overall safety program, and leadership drives it.
Resetting begins with recognizing that workplace violence can impact financial performance, workforce stability, and patient trust.
Leaders must:
- Acknowledge the reality of the crisis without minimizing it. Understanding what is going on within the organization, setting frameworks and goals to solve problems, and communicating transparently with employees are key steps. Sharing how the organization resolves these incidents will show health care workers their safety is taken seriously and that the organization is committed to employee feedback and engagement.
- Allocate meaningful resources to prevention and response. Stratified safety programs are crucial in the healthcare industry. Because training, reporting, and technology are often isolated from each other, it is important that healthcare leaders are able to create programs in which these aspects are intertwined. This way, they not only can see the full picture of their employees’ sense of safety, but also provide them with tools to protect themselves.
- Encourage transparent reporting without fear of revenge. Under-reporting is an important issue as medical staff does not want to face impact or worse termination. Healthcare leaders need to ensure accessible ways for employees to report violence and should help them feel competent when they need to record events, rather than being threatened. They can also strengthen zero tolerance policies within the facilities and ensure that those suffering from violence receive the help and resources they need.
Introducing a layered, proactive security approach
There is no one all-round solution for workplace violence. Effective programs must adopt a multi-pronged approach that combines policy, culture, environment and technology. The key is to ensure that each element strengthens the other elements. Here are a few things healthcare leaders need to consider:
- Design a safer environment: Implementing physical and environmental modifications such as secure entrances, controlled access to high-risk areas, weapon detection and improved lighting can all promote safety immediately.
- Provide hands-on training: Provide regular, program-based guidance on downgrades, conflict resolution and situational awareness that can prepare employees for any form of encounter. Training interdisciplinary teams such as clinical staff, security guards, behavioral health clinicians and HR leaders to respond quickly and make comments after the fact, which may also be effective.
- Align and enforce security policies: Always clearly communicate security protocols, define upgrade procedures, and ensure employees understand their roles and responsibilities. Everyone has to be on the same page to get measurable results.
- Provide security tools for employees and use their data for continuous improvement: Deploy real-time communication tools, such as the wearable coercion button, can call 911 immediately or field security, which can be the difference between a major conflict and a degraded difference. Additionally, data analytics from these tools and employee feedback can track trends, measure effectiveness and help adapt to security policies in real time.
Healthcare leaders must address workplace violence more urgently than ever. Workers should be given an environment that protects their well-being and patients should be taken care of by professionals who are not afraid of their work.
The industry cannot resolve this issue without resetting security priorities. Healthcare leaders must consider employee safety as a core priority because they will be patient satisfaction or financially stable. By doing so, they will not only promote a safe environment, but also trust and commit to healthcare professionals.
Photo: Handsome Bob, Getty Images
Andrea Greco is Senior Vice President of Centegix Medical Security. She has spent decades working with clients to provide solutions focused on employee, patient and family satisfaction and engagement. Her current role focuses on creating and deploying innovative, layered security solutions that empower healthcare organizations every day.
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