Being a healthcare provider can potentially put you at risk of violence, abuse, and injuries. 

As stated by a recent Healthcare Drive publication, healthcare professionals are twice as likely to experience injuries due to workplace violence, ranging from verbal abuse to physical assault and even homicide.  

After the pandemic, healthcare violence has tripled to the extent that healthcare organizations are seeking out ways to provide personal safety to their employees and healthcare staff. That is where and when personal safety devices and panic safety buttons come at hand to prevent workplace violence.

Violence at Healthcare Organizations and Prevalence

We don’t often see healthcare providers credited for their essential services to the communities. However, since the big hit of 2020, healthcare organizations and medical staff have been all over the news on TV, and all for the wrong reasons.

And the reasons? The increased violent attacks against healthcare providers on daily bases. For which, we assume, are increasing day by day, hour by hour. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. healthcare medical providers only make up 9% of the overall U.S. workforce. However, they are more likely to experience injuries via violence than all of the other industries combined. 

A recent systematic study on violence against nurses stated that 73% of female and 46% of male nurses were subjected to sexual assault by patients in a hospital. Moreover, according to the Press Ganey analysis report of 2022, two nurses are assaulted every hour in the U.S. Concluding, on average, 57 nurses are harassed daily in the U.S.

It’s fair to say that the statistics mentioned above are quite literally showcasing the horrifying cases of assault experienced by healthcare professionals daily. And they only seem to get worse. 

And so, the questions come in; What needs to be changed? The system, environment, behavior of the people, or just the security system? What could healthcare organizations do to actively protect their staff from the brutalities they experience every day?

Surely, there are ways!

Provision of Panic Safety Buttons — The Law

Over the past 20 years, technology has evolved in the media, weather, climate action, and healthcare sector. And so did the laws.

Panic buttons have become local legal state requirements in hospital and educational settings. In New York, Florida, Washington, and Illinois, the law requires hotels to provide wearable panic safety buttons to their employees to ensure their safety. 

Moreover, in compliance with Alyssa’s Law, Public Schools must have to install panic safety alarms to protect the innocent little ones and the staff members. Given the new laws and trends, panic safety buttons are going to be the must-have technology in every facility soon. 

But for what reasons?

Panic Safety Buttons — The Must-Have Safety Technology In Healthcare Organizations

Since violence, assault, and harassment do not only happen on the streets, it’s best to have staff safety and security on high alert to minimize violence against healthcare providers in hospitals. 

Below are the reasons why any healthcare organization must need to have panic safety buttons provided to their employees:

• Immediate Alert and Instant Communication 

Suppose doctors, nurses, or any other healthcare staff find themselves in a vulnerable situation that calls for immediate help. In that case, panic safety buttons can easily do the job and alert the officials of any situation. 

These panic buttons are designed to work on both on and off property via Bluetooth signaling, allowing authorities to access your real-time location and send help immediately your way. 

• Decreased Employee Turnover 

Preventing employees from abuse or assault is now every organization’s concern. However, working on the cause and investing yourself purely in your employee’s safety and well-being is only going to strengthen the trust in the employee-organization relationship. 

Moreover, investing in your employee’s safety will not only help you gain trust but also help minimize the high employee turnover and the expense that comes with it. 

• Protect the Organization’s Reputation

In today’s era, where even the smallest incident hardly gets missed from the eyes of mainstream media, could big news like an assault on a healthcare professional slip away?

An impossible no. 

For a healthcare organization, big or small, reputation and image act as a shield against litigation. And so, bad media coverage and publicity can definitely shatter the organization’s reputation. In order to avoid such happening and being held liable, it is best to invest in personal safety technology to ensure your employees’ safety and prevent negative publicity. 

• A Better Replacement

Panic buttons and safety devices have been deemed to be a far better replacement than their loud, shrilling, noisemaking counterparts.

Panic buttons are by far the best technological evolution. They can be customized according to the organization’s needs, ensure the safety of your staff and create a better sense of safety.

Use Silent Beacon to Ensure Safety In a Healthcare Setting

Silent Beacon safety system can ensure the employee’s safety with its high-tech features that allow the employee to alert officials about their location to send help immediately.

Other features of the Silent Beacon Safety Panic Button include:

• Cloud-based dashboard: The Silent Beacon cloud-based dashboard is a real lifesaver for the healthcare sector. It’s got all the bells and whistles, including the ability to alert employees on masse through SMS, voice, and email messages. Plus, the control panel is super easy to use and lets you manage alerts, notifications, employee profiles, and even customize reports. You can even manage your Silent Beacon devices through the portal.

• Real-time employee tracking: Silent Beacon’s real-time employee tracking feature can assist in managing staff and resources efficiently, especially in large healthcare facilities. The platform’s customizable alerts and notifications can also keep staff informed of any changes or updates in protocols, patient care plans, or emergency situations.

• Silent Alert Mode: Apart from sending emergency calls and text messages via the silent beacon panic button, employees can also use the silent alert mode to discreetly send a text message to selected contacts without putting themselves in the limelight.
• Customized Messages: Employees can customize their own alert text messages to send to their designated contacts at the time of distress. 

Final Thoughts

Healthcare professionals provide their best services to ensure the health and well-being of the communities. However, their services are not usually reciprocated, and healthcare providers often get the worst of everything.

Therefore, it comes to none other than healthcare organizations to bear the responsibility for their employee’s safety and security and ensure ways to provide a sound and safe environment to their staff.

Silent Beacon can be an incredibly helpful tool in the healthcare industry. Its emergency alert system can quickly notify staff and medical personnel of emergencies or safety hazards, allowing for a rapid response. This is especially important in healthcare settings, where quick action can be critical in saving lives.

Moreover, Silent Beacon’s reporting capabilities can help healthcare organizations track and analyze incidents, identify trends, and improve safety measures.