MILWAUKEE (May 5, 2022): With May being a special month to celebrate health care workers during National Nurses Week from May 6 – 12 and National Hospital Week from May 8 – 14, Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), the world-leader in de-escalation and workplace violence prevention, today announced the creation of a free resource available to all health care workers, that provides tips on de-escalation in the workplace.
According to OSHA, workplace violence is four times more prevalent in health care than it is in other industries. One in four nurses report they have been assaulted on the job (American Nursing Association), which is helping fuel an exodus of nurses from the profession. According to McKinsey & Company, 32% of registered nurses surveyed in the U.S. in November 2021 said they may leave their current direct-patient-care role.
While recent state and federal legislation has sought to increase penalties for committing violence against health care workers, CPI is committed to training healthcare professionals to de-escalate crises before they become violent. CPI has a library of resources and tips on de-escalation in the workplace and in May is offering healthcare workers the opportunity to download some of the tips for free at www.crisisprevention.com/nurse-mantras.
“Given the health care industry’s compounding challenges of increased workplace violence and staffing shortages, we wanted to pull together five, easy-to-remember mantras to help them find the strength to get through each day,” said Susan Driscoll, president of CPI. “As part of CPI training, health care professionals learn that their responses to defensive behavior, whether from a co-worker, patient, or a patient’s loved one, plays a critical role in determining whether the incident will escalate into a crisis situation. That’s why we compiled some of our best tips into repeatable, self-affirming mantras – free for all workers to help keep staff and patients safe. It’s our hope that this document will be printed off and posted in breakrooms in health care facilities or leveraged in staff meetings. They are easily understandable ways to respond safely and effectively to escalation.”
For 40 years, CPI has provided training programs for health care professionals focused on the mitigation of behavior escalation and an increase in positive outcomes through proven de-escalation and behavior management strategies and techniques. According to a survey done by CPI, 95% of healthcare organizations that experience training show improved staff de-escalation skills and improved overall safety since utilizing their training.
“CPI has given me and my team more tools to identify and de-escalate situations that we see on a daily basis,” said Daniel Corbett, Public Safety Supervisor of the Hurley Medical Center in Hurley, Michigan. “If we can prevent a situation from reaching a physical altercation using these tools, we provide a much safer environment to our staff, patients and visitors.”
