How a health tech company is helping healthcare systems reverse the rising trend of workplace assaults in healthcare
The statistics are shocking. Healthcare professionals are five times more likely to experience violence than other professions. Nearly half of nurses will experience some form of physical violence during their career – 80% of the profession are women. Canopy is a company that provides tools to support healthcare workers in meeting these challenges. Canopy co-founder and CEO interviewed Shan Sinha talks about some of the challenges facing those working in the healthcare system and how companies are looking to support healthcare workers, helping Health systems reduce and reduce workplace violence.
Canopy, a provider of wearable security technology for healthcare workers and a category leader in what is now commonly referred to as connected security platforms, works with health systems across the U.S. to help hospitals protect their employees as they face growing challenges in the workplace.
A 2023 survey by the International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety Foundations found that disruptive behavior was the most common threat to health care workers, followed by assault. So why is the healthcare industry so vulnerable to workplace violence? A paper in the Annals of Medicine and Surgery provides some insight:
“Violence in healthcare settings worsens when a crisis, emergency or disaster occurs, involving large numbers of people who are panicked, shocked, uncertain, fearful and worried about what they or their families are experiencing. As a result, healthcare workers become targets for their anger or frustration. The most vulnerable victims are emergency room staff, especially nurses, Nursing staff and staff directly involved in hospital care. “
Sinha Emphasize that these disputes are not limited to urban areas but also occur in suburban areas, affluent areas, and rural communities.
“Everyone is dealing with the challenges of a health care system that is extremely difficult to navigate,” Sinha said. “We've definitely seen an escalation of activity, an increase in patient aggression and violence as a result of the pandemic. And that doesn't seem to be going away.”
He added:
“Healthcare professionals encounter situations every day where patients become aggressive. Patient advocates, such as patients' families, become more frequently verbally aggressive. Situations become confrontational, violent, and often physical, leading to a variety of other challenges. The physical safety of health care professionals is at risk. More broadly, you see higher rates of burnout.”
When a nurse or hospital staff member feels an encounter with a patient or patient's family becomes dangerous or escalates, they can activate the sensor, a discreet button hidden behind a name tag. Pressing a button instantly alerts the onsite safety team to the nurse's exact location, including room and floor number, so they know exactly where to respond. The Canopy platform also sends alerts to all nearby nurses and staff. Surrounding teams will immediately receive a message on their mobile phones or clinical communications devices, alerting them to who needs help and their precise location. Dispatched officers or surrounding hospital staff (if volunteering to do so) will arrive on scene to de-escalate the situation unless the problem has already been resolved by the time they arrive.
Often, the presence of other people in the room starts to change the dynamic, making the interaction less escalating.
Sinha recounted feedback from one of the hospitals Canopy partners with, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. An unexpected effect of the device is that a lot of people come to support the person who pushed the button – which is often the case., The doctor himself will come. “When the doctor shows up, patients immediately calm down because they first try to talk to the doctor,“ Sinha said. In turn, nurses feel supported by physicians.
Physician support makes an incident that might otherwise escalate fleeting This enhances team spirit in the hospital and calms patients down. Sinha said one of the things Canopy does particularly well is partner with health systems.
“We worked deeply with some of the leading health systems to design a product that not only had all the right features and functionality, but could be easily and effectively deployed successfully,” Sinha said. “We put a lot of effort and effort into supporting staff and all the little logistical details that go into launching a program like this. Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia was definitely part of the genesis of a product that was able to have such an impact.”
Over the past six years, Canopy has seen significant adoption by organizations of all types. Most organizations Canopy works with is a pioneering and leading health system.
“They acknowledge that this is a challenge that is critical to providing quality patient care,” Sinha said. “It ultimately supports employee safety. If you don't feel safe at work, you will appear anxious, and Worrying about how you actually provide care affects all the different roles that provide care. “
Sinha noted that the most innovative organizations Canopy has worked with share several common characteristics. One is a complete commitment to employee safety and well-being, and the other is higher employee retention.
“What we're seeing is leaders are looking for ways to show their appreciation for the work their employees do and the challenges they face every day. What they're seeing is a very visible way to demonstrate their commitment to their employees, and Canopy's results reflect that,” Sinha said.
photo: José Brains, Getty Images
