How Houston hospitals are tackling workplace violence prevention

Threats and violence against nurses and other health care workers have increased in recent years, and the state of Texas is now requiring hospitals to do more to keep their employees safe.

At many hospitals within Texas Medical Centers, long before the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 240, a 2023 law requiring all health care providers to adopt workplace violence prevention plans by September 1st. A workplace violence prevention plan was in place. Violent incidents across the United States. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that health care workers are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than other occupations.

Read more: Workplace violence against nurses in Texas is on the rise

Workplace violence prevention plans are required to include certain protections for employees, such as annual violence prevention training. Many hospitals also offer a variety of services to employees exposed to workplace violence, such as chaplaincy, counseling, and peer-to-peer support.

Here’s what health care providers across Texas are required to do under state law and what Texas Medical Center hospitals are doing to prevent workplace violence and support employees. Let me introduce a sample.

Senate Bill 240 requires Texas hospitals to establish a workplace violence prevention committee consisting of at least one registered nurse involved in patient care and at least one member of the security team . Hospitals are also required to provide annual workplace violence prevention training to employees.

If an incident occurs, the hospital must allow employees to provide confidential information to the committee and protect employees who report the incident from retaliation. Hospitals are also prohibited from preventing employees from reporting incidents to law enforcement.

Memorial Hermann staff undergo de-escalation training to prevent incidents from turning violent. Staff in high-risk areas, such as emergency departments, are given more advanced training.

The Workplace Violence Prevention Committee evaluates risk factors at each Memorial Hermann campus and throughout the health system. Another committee will seek feedback from employees, including doctors, nurses and security guards.

The health system’s Code Lilac program is available to employees exposed to violence and other stressors. Code Lilac is a peer-to-peer support program that allows employees trained in psychological first aid to provide emotional support to co-workers.

Houston Methodist has a “zero tolerance” policy against intimidation, bullying, abuse, and harassment. Leadership staff will meet with patients exhibiting such behaviors and ask them to sign an agreement to cease these behaviors.

The Behavioral Emergency Response Team responds to incidents involving patients in crisis. The team includes security personnel, nurses and nurse practitioners trained in psychiatry and behavioral health.

Some departments are testing Vocera Smartbadges. The Vocera Smartbadge allows employees to press a button to open a hot microphone to the rest of the unit if they are in danger.

When incidents occur, counseling and chaplaincy are available for employees exposed to workplace violence. The nurses also meet with the team for a debriefing session to discuss how the incident could have been prevented or could have been handled better.

Harris Health’s Workplace Violence Prevention Plan says incidents must be reported to a supervisor and documented through the health system’s electronic incident reporting system. According to the plan, employees who urgently need help can call a crisis response team made up of individuals with psychiatric expertise, security personnel, hospital leaders and health care providers. .

The health system also has separate plans for its Ben Taub Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital campuses. For example, at Ben Taub, high-risk units are equipped with additional security measures such as panic buttons, guards, and cameras.