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Hospital violence has been on the rise, and many physicians feel vulnerable at work. Some states acted and instilled a police presence in healthcare settings.

Workplace safety is a concern across multiple industries, and healthcare is no exception. According to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, hospital violence has been on the rise over the past 13 years, and many physicians feel vulnerable at work. Some states acted and instilled a police presence in healthcare settings. For example, Georgia recently passed a law that lets healthcare facilities hire independent police forces. However, not all advocates for protection have come to a consensus on what protection should look like. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Health News found that several protection proponents oppose a large police presence.

Still, healthcare facilities must develop a strategy that keeps physicians and other hospital employees safe. International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety president Paul Sarnese notes that numerous studies have found elevated numbers when it comes to the likelihood of healthcare workers facing workplace assault when compared to workers in other industries. KFF Health News found that in 2018, nearly three-quarters of all nonfatal workplace-violence-induced injuries in the US happened to healthcare workers. Chief nursing officer at Georgia-based Grady Health System, Michelle Wallace, thinks that the numbers are likely even higher, as many patient-assault victims do not report their experiences.

According to Kristen Fuller, MD, hospitals do not provide safe environments for their workers. Dr. Fuller notes that verbal threats often come from patients who are under the influence of drugs, as well as those who have historically engaged in domestic violence. Furthermore, the possibility of gun violence in a hospital is real. Although Dr. Fuller acknowledges that a police presence may not be the optimal solution, it nonetheless could be beneficial to ensure the safety of hospital workers, as could security measures like metal detectors and camera surveillance.

However, some physicians feel that increased police presence in hospitals could have adverse effects on patients in general and patient-physician relationships. Connecticut-based Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Christine Kingsley of the Lung Institute is concerned that a greater police presence could make it more challenging for physicians to gain patients’ trust, noting that it sends the message that hospital workers do not feel safe around them. Furthermore, Kingsley cites the potential for police biases and racial profiling to undermine physician procedures and jeopardize patient safety. A 2020 ProPublica investigation exposed an independent police force positioned at the Cleveland Clinic’s medical zone for “disproportionately charging and citing black people, despite the majority of the clinic’s worker, patient, and visitor population being white.”

Kingsley emphasizes that a police presence could adversely affect patients, both psychologically and physically. The bottom line is that physicians and patients must feel safe in a healthcare setting. While changes need to be made, the question of how those changes should be implemented does not have an easy answer.