Responding to Violence and Aggression in the Workplace

What is this article about?

No one should have to deal with aggression within the workplace, but healthcare professionals often do. Violence towards healthcare workers is NOT ok and there should be zero tolerance for it. Violent incidents are more likely to occur around staff who are directly involved in patient care, namely nurses, emergency room staff and paramedics. Over the past five years, violent assaults against healthcare workers have increased by 55% in New South Wales, 50% in Queensland and 34% in Victoria. The rate of verbal abuse against healthcare professionals is also increasing, with as many as 95 to 100% of emergency department nurses experiencing this type of aggression. The COVID-19 pandemic has been found to be a significant contributor to these escalating statistics.