A new federal report underscores the need to protect the nation’s healthcare workforce.
In newly released data, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the number of nonfatal injuries in the healthcare and social services sector increased by 27,800 cases to 471,600 cases in 2023, which is higher than any other sector. Moreover, the incidence rate of injuries in the healthcare and social services sector was 3 per 100 full-time workers, higher than construction, manufacturing, and mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction.
Some of the highest rates of nonfatal injury or illness in healthcare are:
- Ambulance services: 7.4 per 100 full-time workers
- Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities): 6.9 per 100 full-time workers
- Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly: 6.5 per 100 full-time workers
- Psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals: 6.3 per 100 full-time workers
- General medical and surgical hospitals: 5.1 per 100 full-time workers
While the BLS report doesn’t specify to what extent injuries were accidental or intentionally caused by another person, it’s clear that violence against healthcare workers remains a serious problem.
Healthcare workers are often injured in instances of workplace violence with 44% of registered nurses reporting they have experienced physical violence and more than 80% of emergency physicians reporting they believe the rate of violence in emergency departments has increased.
To address this devastating crisis, bipartisan lawmakers have introduced the Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees (SAVE) Act (H.R. 2584/S. 2768), which aims to protect hospital employees from workplace violence and intimidation by subjecting attackers to imprisonment and fines and boosting the capacity of hospitals to enhance security.
The Healthcare Workforce Coalition urgently asks Congress to pass the SAVE Act before the end of the 118th Congress.