Breaking the cycle: Preventing workplace violence against healthcare workers.

Abstract

Workplace violence (WPV) in healthcare is a growing crisis, and hospital-based approaches are urgently needed. We review two recently published efforts and describe our own pathway to address WPV. Sahota et al. implemented a specialized team and leveraged individualized care plans for high-risk patients, while Littlefield et al. took a policy-driven approach, enabling administrative discharge of disruptive patients. Our pathway utilized patient-centered anticipatory guidance, staff de-escalation training, and a behavioral emergency response. All three approaches illustrate that WPV prevention must move beyond reactive protocols and pivot to proactive, patient-informed solutions.