Case Study: WellSpan Health 2020 HAP Achievement Award

Workplace Violence Prevention within a Multi-Hospital Organization: Interdisciplinary, Collaborative Approach to Achieving “Systemness"

Beginning during 2018, WellSpan Health carefully developed a series of coordinated strategies to address workplace violence across the organization. As part of this effort, the health system created new behavior emergency response teams featuring interdisciplinary staff trained in verbal de-escalation.

These new teams helped implement new screening processes and proactive behavioral huddles when a patient is acutely agitated, aggressive, or violent. The hospital system also streamlined its education and workplace violence prevention processes, forming committees devoted to this important topic.

Among the key takeaways from the project:

• Interdisciplinary engagement locally and within corporate groups results in highly successful interventions
• Teaching conflict management, personal safety, management of patients with neurocognitive impairments, trauma-informed care, and verbal de-escalation skills provides tremendous benefits for patients, staff, and the organization as a whole
• The project provided the hospital teams with the tools and resources needed to mitigate and manage risks

Through its efforts, WellSpan Health decreased staff injuries due to violence at work, provided valuable educational opportunities for staff, and reduced the costs associated with workplace violence. The system also gained important insights about the triggers most frequently associated with behavioral events.

During the last four years, the hospital has far exceeded its initial goals to reduce pressure ulcers for patients on respiratory devices. This innovative approach to care for patients on breathing tubes has been adopted at other hospitals, as well.

Learn more about HAP's Achievement Awards program.

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Topics: Quality Initiatives

Revision Date: 8/1/2020

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