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Violence against B.C. nurses is rising at an alarming rate

“We’re a vulnerable population. We’re a vulnerable target.”

The fact that B.C. nurses experienced approximately 2862 time-loss injuries in the past decade is disturbing.

Even more so is the fact that there have been more injuries every year, creating an increasingly dangerous workplace for nurses in the province.

According to WorkSafeBC’s 2015 annual report, the rate of injury due to workplace violence has increased by over 50 percent since 2006.

Nurses, a category that includes aides and health care assistants, accounted for more than 40 percent of all workplace violence injuries over the last decade, far surpassing security and law enforcement workers, who accounted for 14 percent.

“Health care centres and hospitals used to be a sanctuary. They are not sanctuaries anymore,” explained Gayle Duteil, president of the British Columbia Nurses’ Union (BCNU).

A career nurse, Duteil has worked on the frontlines of the health care industry for over 30 years. During that time, she has noticed a significant increase in violence towards nurses, towards other patients and towards other health care workers.

“It is an escalating problem, an increasing problem,” she said. “A large number of people assume that these cases are isolated and occasionally spurred on by something like mental health or dementia. But I don’t think people truly understand how widespread this problem is and that there is very little being done to keep everyone in health facilities safe.”

“Violence is not part of a nursing job”

Explaining an issue as complex as increasing violence in the health care sector requires a complex answer. According to Duteil, factors include a lack of protection for nurses, a failure to train nurses to react in violent situations and a misconception of what a nurse’s job should entail.

“There’s still a sentiment out there that dealing with violence is part of the job. And I’m telling you that violence is not part of a nursing job,” she stated.

Whether they’re working in a hospital, a care facility or a personal residence, nurses are at the forefront of health care. Many times, this means they are the first person to notice when a patient is becoming violent – and the first person to experience that violence firsthand.

“We’re a vulnerable population. We’re a vulnerable target,” Duteil said.

WorkPlaceBC figures show that on average, in a single month, 26 nurses are assaulted, kicked, hit or beat by patients or facility residents. However, the true number is likely higher, as many nurses fail to report violence due to fears of retribution or a misunderstanding that violence is a part of their job.

The problem compounds as more nurses become injured, leaving nurses available to provide safe patient care.

Need to provide a safe workplace

Employers have responsibilities under WorkSafeBC to provide a safe workplace for nurses and health care workers, but Duteil says this isn’t always the reality.

As an example, she refers to the inclusion of nurses in Code White incidents. “Code White” is hospital speak for a violent or aggressive patient; when called, health care workers rally together to control the patient before they can cause harm to themselves or others.

Because nurses don’t receive self-defense training, Duteil says they are especially vulnerable during these situations. “Every time you have to draw on a nurse in a Code White situation, there’s a nurse getting injured,” Duteil stated.

To help better manage these situations, Duteil and the BCNU are asking for the addition of trained security personnel at sites, 24/7, who can help manage violent patients so that nurses don’t have to.

The BCNU is also calling on health authorities to invest in technology that can help keep nurses safe, such as personal alarms, and to provide self-defense education and training on how to manage violent situations.

“It’s about educating everybody involved. Certainly education will be a key thing that we’re asking for,” she stated.

The Union is also lobbying for legislative changes to the criminal code that will award harsher sentences for individuals who harm nurses.

“It is the Health Authorities’ responsibility to provide a safe workplace. Nurses do their very best to provide safe patient care across this province every day. Make no mistake, everybody has a responsibility for personal safety, but this is the Health Authorities’ responsibility – the government’s responsibility – to provide a safe place for nurses,” Duteil concluded.


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