The Workplace Of The Healthcare Profession

It was not until the 1980’s that the diagnosis of PTSD as we know it today came to be. However, throughout history people have recognized that exposure to combat situations can have profound negative impact on the mind s and bodies of individuals in these situations. But there are other catastrophic events that can have such profound impact on people resulting in PTSD…

A practice that has been put in place is the use of call buttons that are installed and easily available for the staff to use when dealing with escalating patients. Within this Veterans Affairs Hospital, the inpatient geriatric unit has at least 2-3 cases of patient-on-patient assault each month. For those that are very aggressive, this is currently being addressed by the use of one-on-one staff and antipsychotic medications. Clinicians are expected to be able to assess whether intervention is needed to protect other patients and staff from patients’ violence, to assess when patients pose a sufficient level of risk, and to assess when patients who have been hospitalized can be safely discharged to the community. However, surveys of practitioners suggest that many receive little formal training in violence risk assessment. (McNeil, et al. 2009) The limitations of formal training in risk assessment for violence suggested by such surveys underscore the need for education in this topic, hence the relevance of this educational training. Nurses on the front lines of care are ill-prepared to deal with this, hence the need for training. (Peek-Asa, et al.

Horizontal violence is a hidden pattern of individual behavior in controlling other individual that risk health and safety (Hinchberger, 2009). According to Roche, Duffield and Catling-Paull, violence can be describe as emotional abuse, threat, or actual violence in any health care setting. Although the definition varies according to situations and practice settings, there is agreement that workplace violence has a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of nurses and the delivery of quality nursing care (Hinchberger, 2009). Violence mostly occur in any health care setting, However, it mostly occur in emergency department, waiting room, psychiatric ward and geriatric unit on which people involved psychological situations.

Horizontal violence is not a topic that medical faculties discuss on a day-to-day basis, but it is an enormous problem within the health care system. In this research the author looks at bulling from a registered nurse (r.n.) aspect .The effects on patient centered care can be detrimental for patients and r.n.’s. The work place needs to be a safe place for not only the patients but also the employees. With the rise of new graduate nurses who are employed by the medical facilities, they too are starting to face horizontal violence within the first year on the job, which leads to retention of nurses in the medical field. Horizontal violence will continue to arise if nurses do not stand up to bullying and empower victims to speak up on

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is characterized as a psychological condition in which a person has persistent mental and emotional distress after experiencing a traumatic event. In the United States alone, there is an 8.7% projected lifetime risk for developing PTSD by the age of seventy-five years old. Furthermore, rates of PTSD are commonly higher amongst people whose occupation increases their risk of traumatic exposure. Examples of occupations that increase the risk of traumatic exposure include law enforcement, military personnel, and firefighters. But it is important to note that the highest rates of PTSD are found among survivors of rape and captivity (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Formerly seen in individuals from combat, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is now seen in civilians following traumatic events, ranging from violence, accidents, serious injury and life threatening illness (Association, 2000). PTSD has debilitating psycho-emotional and psychobiological effects, which can impair an individual’s daily life and can be life threatening. Consequently, individuals with PTSD often experience difficulties in maintaining relationships, which often leads to “occupational instability, martial problems and divorces, and family dispute and difficulties in parenting” (Iribarren, Prolo, Neagos, & Chiappelli, 2005). In some cases, PTSD can be severe enough to hinder the individual’s daily life and can lead to suicidal tendencies (Iribarren et al., 2005). Having this knowledge, PTSD is marked as a psychiatric disorder and has been identified as comorbid with other disorders, such as major depressive disorder (Oquendo et al., 2005). According to recent statistics, the National Center for PTSD estimated that 7.8% of the U.S. population would suffer from PTSD at some point in their lives, with women (10.4%) twice as likely than men (5%) (Iribarren et al., 2005; Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, & Nelson, 1995). However, given the worldwide turmoil, it is possible the numbers will increase and may even become a significant health concern of this century, since PTSD symptoms rarely disappear completely. Recovery from PTSD can elicit more stress, since it

During the 1980’s an anxiety disorder known as PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, was recognized when one experienced something horrific and then began to re-experience the traumatic event (Bobo, Warner, and Warner 799). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can not be cured, only treated. PTSD was originally brought into perspective when combat Veterans could no longer face their experiences on the battlefield. As years went on, victims of rape, assault, or witnesses of a traumatic event were also diagnosed with PTSD. Although society knows the name of this disorder, PTSD is often underrecognized and under-treated (Bobo, Warner, and Warner 797). Many know that it is an anxiety disorder, but few understand the risks that come along with it.

There exist several theoretical explanations of how PTSD comes about and persists. One such theory state that PTSD arises from occupational factors. The argument here is that individuals who operate in atmospheres that have exposure to traumatic experiences are likely to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to the extremely frightening conditions. People categorized as likely to fall under this category include military, medical practitioners, police, firefighters, and therapists who deal with psychological matters. According to Downing, as the person is continually exposed to these conditions, there is likelihood of an intensely traumatizing event that may cause the disorder, and as the specialist deals with similar cases on a daily basis the traumatizing event may be recounted triggering PTSD (2).

There is not one person that is exclusively safe from the risk of becoming a casualty to Posttraumatic Stress. Everyday in our lives we step out into a world with endless dangers around each corner, yet to think about each possibility would consume the mind so much so that the quality of one’s life would diminish. Every time we get into a car, walk in an elevator, or leave the tranquility of our beds, we are risking becoming the victim of a direct incident, or being held by repercussions from that incident. These repercussions can come in the forms of nightmares, flashbacks, mood swings, depression, lifestyle changes, and even suicide. Every career carries with it the dangers of becoming victim to PTSD, which is why researching specific causes

Our Health Our Future: Creating Quality Workplace for Canadian Nurses (Maslove and Fooks, 2004). Safe working environment plays a vital role in the ability for providing quality nursing care. So, workplace safety is a main issue for discussion in every occupation particularly in nursing profession in health care setting since nurses are an integral part of public health. Violence against nurses causes hamper in achieving personal, professional as well as organizational goal. According to Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) “workplace violence is any act in which a person is abused, threatened, intimidated or assaulted in his or her employment”. Similarly, Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) defines ‘Workplace

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2000) shows that 48% of all non-fatal work related assaults and acts of violence have occurred in health care and social service settings. Violence against mental health and health care workers has the potential to cause major physical injuries and psychological trauma. In return this poses serious consequences on employers such as increased turnover, medical and psychological care, increased absenteeism, decreased morale, job dissatisfaction, legal issues, and worker burn-out. Agencies and clinicians are encouraged to evaluate and identify the risks that are potential barriers in their agencies. Safety plans need to be implemented and strategized along with re-evaluations on a continuous basis (Taylor, H. 2013).

Workplace violence (WPV) has been an increasing problem for many years, but it is hitting the healthcare profession hardest.(1) A crime survey done in 2014 by the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) found that violent crimes in the US healthcare system increased by 25% from 2012 to 2013.(2) Nearly 24,000 assaults in the work environment occur every year, with nearly 70-75% occurring to healthcare providers alone.(3, 4) Due to this increased risk of assault while working, healthcare workers are nearly 4 times as likely to need time off of work due to an injury caused by workplace violence than any other cause (i.e. illness, family leave, etc).(3) In a 2001 document from the United States Bureau of Justice, it was reported that 1.62% of physicians were assaulted (16.2 assaults per 1,000), 2.19% of nurses were assaulted (21.9 assaults per 1,000 nurses), and 0.85% of other healthcare workers (with varying job titles) were assaulted (8.5 assaults per 1,000 employees).(5) In 2011, the United States Bureau of Justice measured the workplace violence rate for nurses to be 3.9% (3.9 assaults per 1,000), almost doubling the numbers from 2001 in just 10 years.(1) The United States Bureau of Justice also reported that of the 100 fatalities that occurred in the workplace of healthcare and social service employees in 2013, 27 of the fatalities were due to violent attacks and assaults.(4)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), triggered by exposure to a traumatic event, is a mental health condition characterized by recurrent nightmares or flashbacks, avoiding reminders/recounting the event, distorted mental processes or emotional numbing, and a persistently high state of arousal and reactivity (Institute of Medicine , 2014). While this mental disorder does appear in society as a whole, its prevalence in the U.S. military is cause for concern. Cited as the “most commonly identified psychological clinical disorder stemming from the war” (PTSD May Be Greatest Injury of War Today, 2008), in 2012, 5.2% of all service members were diagnosed with PTSD, while 8.0% of all previously deployed service members received the diagnosis (Institute of Medicine , 2014). Experiencing trauma caused by combat exposure is a relatively normal occurrence within today’s military. Nonetheless, not all soldiers will be diagnosed with or experience the side effects of PTSD. Physicians are unsure why some individuals develop PTSD over others; however, it is believed that a mix of interrelated elements can increase the probability that exposure to a traumatic event will result in the disorder, such as inherited mental health risks and personality factors, previous life experiences and an individual’s unique chemical response(s) to stress (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Due to its prevalence in the military community, human service professionals (HSPs) should expect to come in contact with

PTSD used to be referred to as shell shock and battle fatigue for soldiers, but today it can affect people of all ages and all ethnic groups (Cohen 2016). Children that witness sexual abuse, adolescents that experience drive by shootings, and adults that go through natural disasters have the potential to be diagnosed with PTSD. Several recent studies have shown that trauma is fairly common in the United States. One study goes to show that over 50% of all people will experience a traumatic event some time in their lives. For women, this event is usually rape and sexual abuse. For men, it is most commonly combat exposure. Domestic violence is also a common precipitant of PTSD, but it is not as sufficiently recognized as a cause. Other causes that may lead to increased vulnerability are impairments in personal judgement, lack of supportive relationships, and previous traumatic experiences or underlying mental disorders. One common misconception is that PTSD is the immediate response to a traumatic experience. The majority of people that are exposed to a traumatic experience often develop insomnia for a short time but cope and recover fairly well. Less than 10% of people with symptoms showing PTSD go on to develop the actual disorder (Cohen

The rate of extreme trauma has increased greatly in the United States. Post traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) can be defined as a mental health condition caused by a horrifying event experienced visually or first hand. (Mayo Clinical Staff 1) Experiences like this can leave people feeling horrified, afraid, and helpless. The most frequent events that lead to the basis of PSTD include threats with weapons, physical attacks, sexual harassment, childhood abuse, or, combat exposure. (Mayo Clinical Staff 4) The symptoms resulting can bring out major issues in social activities like work and association. Recently, the PSTD symptoms have been conveniently categorized into 4 groups which include intrusive memories, negative shifts/bipolar mood swings,