For healthcare workers, injuries can happen in many different ways. There are some specific risks, such as needle sticks in a hospital or getting injured while trying to lift a heavy patient. There are also more typical injuries that could happen in a wide variety of industries, such as nurses being injured in slip-and-fall accidents or through repetitive motion injuries.
One concerning trend lately, though, is that workplace violence against nurses has been growing more common. Nurses are often the victims of attacks from their own patients or from family members and visitors. These attacks can lead to significant injuries, and many nurses report leaving their jobs because workplace violence is too significant of a risk.
What do the statistics say?
The statistics paint a fairly bleak picture. Reports claim that 81.6% of nurses have experienced workplace violence, or roughly 8 out of 10. Notably, the study only asked if that had happened in the past year. With such a high percentage claiming that workplace violence occurred in the previous 12 months, it is safe to assume that extending the study to five or ten years could increase the total even closer to 100%. It is definitely an issue that impacts many in the industry.
Moreover, the problem does appear to be getting worse. Roughly half of all nurses also claimed that they had seen an increase in workplace violence in the last year.
Your legal options
Are you a healthcare worker who has been injured on the job? If so, take the time to carefully consider all of the legal options at your disposal.