Outbursts of violence by patients and their relatives – exacerbated by long waiting times and incomprehensible patient call systems – are now part of everyday life in hospital emergency rooms. Hessischer Rundfunk and the Hessian Hospital Association recently conducted a survey of more than 20 facilities. The result: verbal and non-verbal aggression are commonplace in almost all hospitals. This development is causing increased psychological stress for hospital staff and is leading to more and more employees wanting to leave their jobs in the emergency room.
Further measures for the emergency room security concept More and more hospitals are interested in expanding their security concept to include body cameras. These cameras, which have been proven to have a de-escalating effect, are usually worn by security services and are used when situations need to be calmed down or assaults need to be recorded for criminal prosecution. In most cases, however, the camera does not even need to be activated: in many cases, the aggressor is already deterred when they see the body cam or – in a second de-escalation step – their own reflection in the camera’s display, and they back down from their actions.
Employee protection saves costs Many hospitals have to cover security expenses themselves. However, investing in employee protection is worthwhile, as the costs of (usually long-term) employee absences after attacks are much higher. Body-Cams can therefore be used as a preventive measure and complement existing security concepts for emergency rooms.
