Hospital details efforts to address workplace violence

In an American Hospital Association podcast, Barbara Griffith, MD., president of Duke Raleigh Hospital in Durham, N.C., describes how the hospital addressed workplace violence. After listening to the staff, Duke Raleigh locked its doors and required workers to use their badges to go through doors. It monitored public entrances and implemented metal detectors for all visitors. The hospital urged staff to speak up when they observed potential dangers and promised to support them. It partnered with law enforcement to hire an officer to work at the facility full time. The hospital also is involved in the community’s local threat assessment and management team. Transparent and clear communication is crucial for workers to feel safe, Griffith says.