‍How are we protecting staff and patients in healthcare settings?

On average, 57 nurses are assaulted every day in the U.S. That's two nurses attacked every hour, according to a Press Ganey analysis using data from 2022. Press Ganey's National Data base of Nursing Quality Indicators revealed that in the 3-month period from April to June, an equivalent of 5,217 assaults occurred at the 483 included facilities. Nurses faced the highest number of assaults in psychiatric units and emergency departments. While patients were most likely to attack nurses, attacks were also initiated by family members, co-workers, visitors, and intruders, and most attackers were men.

Violence against healthcare workers has long concerned nurse groups and advocates, but research suggests that what was already a dangerous pattern may be getting worse. According to a 2021 American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations report on worker safety, rates of workplace violence in healthcare and social assistance settings have almost doubled since 2010.

One of the tools that we are seeing deployed quickly and more commonly in these facilities to help provide safety to bothstaff and patients is a real-time locating system, or RTLS.

How can staff feel secure in the event a fellow staff member or a patient poses a danger?

ZulaFly’s RTLS platform allows any staff member wearing a push-button badge to create a silent, location-based call for help whether they are inside or outside the building. These alerts allow other designated employees to receive the alert and dispatch immediate assistance to where the staff member is currently located, with unlimited escalations to ensure assistance is provided.

As with many other workplaces, staff members in healthcare settings often spend more time with co-workers than with members of their own families. With workdays growing increasingly long the past couple of years and patience running short, disputes and frustration between staff, patients, and family members wanting to see their loved one can become a reality. In rare occasions, these altercations can turn violent or dangerous to the point where a staff member needs to call out for help.

Patient safety is also a top priority, especially for those that may wander into areas that they should not be.  An automated alerting system such as ZulaFly, can send an immediate alert to staff notifying them if a patient has inadvertently left their room during the night, is entering an elevator or stair well, or is in a potential combative situation, for example.

Whether danger emerges during staff-to-patient interaction or staff-to-family encounters, ZulaFly is universally capable of offering daily security and confidence to all staff on campus, allowing them to focus on providing the best care possible for patients and continuing in the professional tasks they do best.