Nurse leaders address workplace violence in rural hospitals

The rise of opioid use across the country is only one contributor to workplace violence at rural hospitals. AONL board member Kevin McEwan, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer at Madison Memorial Hospital in rural Rexburg, Idaho, says dementia, delirium, pain and medications can also cause altered states of mind that lead patients to lash out. But with limited psychiatric beds available in his state, McEwan says most of the violence his staff experiences comes from patients with mental illness. Research shows patient violence tends to be directed toward nurses and aides. An administrator at Grande Ronde Hospital in LaGrande, Ore., believes underreporting of violent incidents is part of the problem. Elaine LaRochelle, CHFM, director of facilities, says some nurses think dealing with assault is just “part of the job,” and others are so burdened they don’t want to take the time to report an incident. (The Rural Monitor story, 9/1//19)