Abstract
Trauma surgeons commonly encounter violence in their daily practice and, in recent years, have taken a leading role in identifying, preventing, and responding to interpersonal community violence. Violence may also occur within health-care facilities, however.
In the USA, workers in the health-care sector are among the most likely to experience workplace violence. Experiencing violence has the potential not only to affect the health and well-being of staff but also to influence patient care. Despite this, little is known regarding the nature and scope of this problem. Challenges related to the definition of workplace violence, underreporting of incidents, and perception that violence is “part of the job” make it difficult to study this topic. Although health-care systems are often subject to rigorous guidelines, guidelines related to the prevention and identification of workplace violence and response to it are scant. As a result, there is wide variation in the programs designed to address workplace violence. Furthermore, the effectiveness of these programs and the strategies they use are largely undetermined.
In this chapter, we will review the existing definitions and epidemiology of workplace violence in health care. We will assess the potential impact of workplace violence on patient care and health-care workers, in particular those in trauma surgery. We will discuss ethical issues raised in the context of workplace violence. Finally, we will suggest an alternative framework for defining threats to safety in the workplace and address ways in which trauma surgeons can respond constructively to this issue.
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Scarlet, S., Dreesen, E.B. (2020). Workplace Violence in Trauma Care. In: Siegler, M., Rogers Jr., S. (eds) Violence, Trauma, and Trauma Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31246-6_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-31246-6_6
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