Workplace Violence Prevention Training, Safety Resources, and Commitment to HHCWs' Safety

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Public Health
• Nursing

Background:

• Workplace violence (WPV) poses a significant safety risk to home health care workers (HHCWs).
• Existing WPV prevention training often fails to address the unique environmental challenges faced by HHCWs, such as patient homes and neighborhoods.
• There is a need to describe current WPV prevention training, resources, and safety commitments for HHCWs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the characteristics of workplace violence (WPV) prevention training received by home health care workers (HHCWs).
• To identify the resources utilized by HHCWs for safety and WPV prevention.
• To assess the commitment to HHCW safety within the healthcare setting.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey design was employed.
• Home health care workers (HHCWs) from two sites in Southwestern Ohio completed the Violence Against Home Healthcare and Hospice Workers survey.
• Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the 37-item survey data on WPV prevention training and resources.

Main Results:

• Only half (50%) of the surveyed home health care workers (HHCWs) received WPV prevention training.
• Training content predominantly focused on patient/family aggression (82.6%) but lacked information on hazardous neighborhoods (65.2%).
• Cellular phones were the primary safety resource (97.7%), with few provided by agencies (2.3%).

Conclusions:

• Workplace violence (WPV) prevention training for home health care workers (HHCWs) is deficient in critical areas like psychological care, patient screening, self-protection skills, and de-escalation techniques.
• There is a clear need to strengthen access to WPV prevention training and safety resources for HHCWs.
• Occupational Health Nurses can play a key role in developing and implementing effective WPV prevention training programs tailored for HHCWs.