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In the healthcare setting, high stress, high anxiety, and fear can fuel unpredictable and sometimes violent behavior. In fact, healthcare workers are five times more likely than any other type of worker to experience workplace violence, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

This startling statistic got the attention of U.S. senators, who introduced the Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act in 2023. If passed, the legislation would create stronger penalties for people who knowingly and intentionally assault or intimidate healthcare workers. 

At UVA Health University Medical Center, we’ve been proactively working to combat workplace violence since 2016, when we launched our own SAVE initiative. The Situational Awareness Violent Event Committee is a subgroup of the Safety and Security Committee.  

According to Lauren Mathes, BSN, RN, Clinic Manger and SAVE Committee Co-Chair, the purpose of SAVE is to provide oversight and guidance to team members to prevent workplace violence and injury associated with violent events at the University Medical Center. This is accomplished through ongoing monitoring and assessment of our environment, training and education of team members, real-time problem solving of events, and development of mitigation strategies and processes. 

SAVE is made up of approximately 50 employees from across the University Medical Center, including nurses, physicians, management, security personnel, call center staff, chaplains and others. “We’re fully interdisciplinary — just about every role is represented,” says Mathes. “We have an open invitation for anyone interested in participating.” 

The University Medical Center takes a zero-tolerance position on violent or threatening behavior in the workplace. Team members are responsible for being alert to signs of potential aggression, and for reporting episodes of workplace violence via Be Safe. Leaders are accountable for ensuring the appropriate resource are in place to prevent workplace violence and offering recovery to affected team members. 

Here are five key categories we use to define workplace violence at UVA Health:

• Verbal abuse
• Physical abuse
• Sexually inappropriate behaviors
• Property damage
• Discriminatory behaviors

To report any form of workplace violence, look for the Be Safe icon on your desktop or visit the SAVE website. Every episode of workplace violence should be reported, including verbal abuse.  For more information, review the Medical Center Policy found in PolicyTech, titled: “Reporting, Preventing and Responding to Violence in the Workplace.” 

Resources for Violence Prevention

The SAVE team has created a variety of tools for staff to help them identify and prevent workplace violence, and to support them when events happen. These include:

• Behavioral Flags in EPIC | Behavioral Flags promote situational awareness by communicating the need for a safe approach, decreasing the likelihood of team member injury.  
• Security Assessment | Available in all clinical spaces, including ambulatory, a security assessment is an important step in developing a plan to mitigate the potential for an unsafe situation that may escalate to a violent event.  
• De-escalation Tip Sheet | This tip sheet provides best practices for dealing with agitated or violent patients.  
• Guidelines for Managing Complex Behavioral Challenges | There are many resources providing information on managing a patient or visitor with behavioral challenges, including guidelines outlining when to consider a complex care meeting.  
• Post-Event Recovery | There is a process in place for supporting staff who experience a violent event, which includes assessment by a supervisor to identify physical or emotional injuries, in-person support from chaplaincy and ongoing follow-up post-event, as well as resources offered by FEAP.

“Our overall goal is to support our team members and keep them safe while at work because we want them to have a safe environment to be able to care for our patients,” says Janine Smith, BSN, RN, Clinical Program Coordinator for Team Member Injury Prevention and SAVE Committee Co-Chair.

Min Lee, MBA, MHA, Chief Operating Officer, says, “As healthcare providers, our responsibility extends beyond patient care to ensuring the safety and well-being of our team members. By actively addressing workplace violence, we are fostering an environment where our team members can focus on delivering the best possible care, knowing that their safety is a top priority. We are committed to creating a culture of respect and security across our entire organization.”

For more information about preventing workplace violence or any of the available resources, visit the SAVE website or email Lauren Mathes or Janine Smith.