Workplace Violence - How to Support Colleagues & Ourselves-Slides

Slides

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This presentation by Drs. Read G. Pierce and Tresa McNeal addresses workplace violence (WPV) in healthcare settings, highlighting its high prevalence—reported as up to 5-10 times more common than in other sectors—and the lack of formal training in managing such incidents. The session aims to: 1) examine the current landscape of hospital workplace safety, 2) introduce a practical framework for responding to WPV, and 3) practice communication skills to mitigate distress caused by verbal, psychological, and physical aggression.<br /><br />Key points include recognizing that while physical safety is paramount, communication skills remain critical for de-escalating tensions. Participants engage in paired exercises practicing empathetic listening and reflective responses using the PEARLS model: Partnership, Emotion, Acknowledgement, Respect, Legitimization, and Support. Scenarios, such as managing a verbally aggressive patient with sepsis, serve as practical guides to rehearsing these approaches.<br /><br />The framework for handling WPV involves: observing the situation, pausing to be aware of feelings (both one’s own and the other’s), using empathy, acknowledging needs, and requesting specific actions to move toward resolution. Emphasis is placed on relationship-centered communication as prevention, building trust early in patient interactions, and fostering supportive debriefing among colleagues.<br /><br />Additional institutional supports include executive backing, legal guidance, encouraging incident reporting, centralized data gathering, electronic health record tools, team-based crisis response processes (e.g., Behavioral Emergency Response Teams), and ongoing skills training.<br /><br />Resources for further study and protocols are provided from organizations like The Joint Commission and the Academy of Communication in Healthcare. Attendees are directed on how to claim continuing medical education credits via the SHMLive app.<br /><br />Overall, the session empowers healthcare professionals to support themselves and colleagues through skillful, empathetic communication strategies that address and reduce workplace violence’s impact.

Keywords

workplace violence

healthcare safety

communication skills

PEARLS model

empathy in healthcare

verbal aggression management

behavioral emergency response

incident reporting

hospital safety protocols

continuing medical education