Workplace violence: protecting your practice from an epidemic.
Workplace violence, in the form of verbal threats and/or intimidation and physical aggression, is commonplace in medical practices today. The practice must be prepared to respond to this disaster in the same manner with which they prepare for responses to a medical emergency, fire, or loss of electricity. The risks and liabilities of failing to build a robust program include low staff morale and productivity, employee injury, lost work time, regulatory fines and sanctions, and the risk of civil judgments against the practice. The most successful programs receive commitment (read: involvement) from management and include staff in program development and implementation.
Calway
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RC
MedSafe, Inc, 69 Hickory Drive, Waltham, MA 02451, USA. bcalway@medsafe.com
D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D008297:Male; D016272:Occupational Health; D009817:Office Management / Q000592:standards; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D016730:Program Development; D017751:Safety Management; D014481:United States; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017132:Workplace / Q000592:standards*