Addressing mistreatment of providers by patients and family members as a patient safety event.
Workplace violence in health care settings can adversely affect the safety of healthcare workers and patients. Baseline responses from 309 pediatric physicians, nurses, and residents at one hospital revealed that the majority have received verbal threats from patients or family members. Offensive behavior from patients or family members was commonly based on provider age, gender, race/ethnicity, or appearance. After an interprofessional training intervention focused on addressing and reporting mistreatment, providers reported increased reporting knowledge, self-efficacy, and reporting behaviors.