Policy, Politics, and Global Health Trends- Task 1
Policy, Politics and Global Health Trends
Western Governors University Policy, Politics, and Global Health Trends- Task 1
A1. Public Policy Issue
The public policy issue that I have chosen to discuss is workplace violence in the nursing profession. Workplace violence is very prevalent in the healthcare setting, because medical staff are attempting to do more with less; increasing patient populations, many specialty facilities are being shut down or merged, nursing staff shortages, and many patients do not have insurance. All of this can contribute to longer wait times, creating increased tension and heightened emotional state, which could be a precursor to violence. According to the American Nurses Association, in the healthcare industry, there are two types of workplace violence that are most prevalent: (1) Type II, which involves the patient, where the “individual has a relationship with the business and becomes violent while receiving services”,
and (2) T ype III, which involves violence among staff members, where “employees attack or threaten one another” (2017). Workplace violence is more prevalent in the nursing profession that you may believe. In 2013, a cross-sectional study was performed over a 12-month period, which included 970 nurses from 47 different nursing units. The study showed that 63.8% of nursing staff stated that they suffered from verbal abuse, 41.6% of these staff had suffered from threats of violence, 22.3% had suffered physical violence, 19.7% had been sexually harassed, and 9.7% had experienced bullying in the workplace (Mihyun, Sung-Hyun, & Hyun-Ja, 2014). There is Policy, Politics, and Global Health Trends- Task 1
currently no state standards or regulations put into place, in T exas, to prevent violence in the workplace. Every day, nursing staff are vulnerable to violence in the workplace. Many times, this behavior is overlooked due to not “having a witness” or “lack of bodily harm” (T aylor, 2010). Violence has no place in the healthcare workplace. Nurse’s should not have to accept fear as part of their job. Zero tolerance for workplace violence should be mandated in healthcare facilities in the state of T exas, allowing the clinicians to be able to provide the highest quality care in a safe work environment, which fosters healing.
A1a. Issue Selection
Workplace violence is very prevalent in the nursing profession. With no current medical standards to prevent violence in the healthcare setting, I felt that this issue would be a suitable selection. According to a study in 2011, over a seven-day period, approximately ten percent of nursing staff who worked in the emergency room had suffered from some sort of reported violence (Docksai, 2018). Creating policies and standard operating procedures to enforce a no-tolerance policy for workplace violence in the healthcare setting could help to decrease these incidents. Implementation of
policies and standard operating procedures would help to create a safer healthcare environment, as well as improve employee and patient satisfaction with the care that they are receiving. A1b. Issue Relevance Policy, Politics, and Global Health Trends- Task 1
There are several reasons why workplace violence in the healthcare setting is relevant. One main issue is that nursing staff face many issues, daily, that
increase their risk for violence in the workplace. Healthcare workers are, on average, four times more likely to encounter a serious violent event in the workplace than other private industries (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). Some of these risk factors include: working with patients or other staff members who have a history of violence or may be under the influence of drugs; lifting and transportation of patients; working alone; lack of escape route due to poor design of work environment; lack of emergency communication; poor staffing; no restrictions to public access; increased waiting times and overcrowded waiting areas; and inadequate security personnel (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2015).
A second reason this topic is so relevant is that workplace violence in healthcare is greatly underreported. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, nursing staff do not report violence in the workplace setting for several reasons, including: they believe it is “part of the job”, there are no institutional guidelines or policies against workplace violence, reporting procedures may be too complex or time consuming, lack of response on previous reports, fear of “victim blaming”, and the belief that the violator will not be held accountable (2016). A study in 2013, surveying 15,000 employees, working in seven different hospitals showed that 62% reported that they had been a victim of workplace violence, and only 23%
Policy, Politics and Global Health Trends
Western Governors University Policy, Politics, and Global Health Trends- Task 1
A1. Public Policy Issue
The public policy issue that I have chosen to discuss is workplace violence in the nursing profession. Workplace violence is very prevalent in the healthcare setting, because medical staff are attempting to do more with less; increasing patient populations, many specialty facilities are being shut down or merged, nursing staff shortages, and many patients do not have insurance. All of this can contribute to longer wait times, creating increased tension and heightened emotional state, which could be a precursor to violence. According to the American Nurses Association, in the healthcare industry, there are two types of workplace violence that are most prevalent: (1) Type II, which involves the patient, where the “individual has a relationship with the business and becomes violent while receiving services”,
and (2) T ype III, which involves violence among staff members, where “employees attack or threaten one another” (2017). Workplace violence is more prevalent in the nursing profession that you may believe. In 2013, a cross-sectional study was performed over a 12-month period, which included 970 nurses from 47 different nursing units. The study showed that 63.8% of nursing staff stated that they suffered from verbal abuse, 41.6% of these staff had suffered from threats of violence, 22.3% had suffered physical violence, 19.7% had been sexually harassed, and 9.7% had experienced bullying in the workplace (Mihyun, Sung-Hyun, & Hyun-Ja, 2014). There is Policy, Politics, and Global Health Trends- Task 1
currently no state standards or regulations put into place, in T exas, to prevent violence in the workplace. Every day, nursing staff are vulnerable to violence in the workplace. Many times, this behavior is overlooked due to not “having a witness” or “lack of bodily harm” (T aylor, 2010). Violence has no place in the healthcare workplace. Nurse’s should not have to accept fear as part of their job. Zero tolerance for workplace violence should be mandated in healthcare facilities in the state of T exas, allowing the clinicians to be able to provide the highest quality care in a safe work environment, which fosters healing.
A1a. Issue Selection
Workplace violence is very prevalent in the nursing profession. With no current medical standards to prevent violence in the healthcare setting, I felt that this issue would be a suitable selection. According to a study in 2011, over a seven-day period, approximately ten percent of nursing staff who worked in the emergency room had suffered from some sort of reported violence (Docksai, 2018). Creating policies and standard operating procedures to enforce a no-tolerance policy for workplace violence in the healthcare setting could help to decrease these incidents. Implementation of
policies and standard operating procedures would help to create a safer healthcare environment, as well as improve employee and patient satisfaction with the care that they are receiving. A1b. Issue Relevance Policy, Politics, and Global Health Trends- Task 1
There are several reasons why workplace violence in the healthcare setting is relevant. One main issue is that nursing staff face many issues, daily, that
increase their risk for violence in the workplace. Healthcare workers are, on average, four times more likely to encounter a serious violent event in the workplace than other private industries (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). Some of these risk factors include: working with patients or other staff members who have a history of violence or may be under the influence of drugs; lifting and transportation of patients; working alone; lack of escape route due to poor design of work environment; lack of emergency communication; poor staffing; no restrictions to public access; increased waiting times and overcrowded waiting areas; and inadequate security personnel (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2015).
A second reason this topic is so relevant is that workplace violence in healthcare is greatly underreported. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, nursing staff do not report violence in the workplace setting for several reasons, including: they believe it is “part of the job”, there are no institutional guidelines or policies against workplace violence, reporting procedures may be too complex or time consuming, lack of response on previous reports, fear of “victim blaming”, and the belief that the violator will not be held accountable (2016). A study in 2013, surveying 15,000 employees, working in seven different hospitals showed that 62% reported that they had been a victim of workplace violence, and only 23%
