The latest statistics regarding assaults on healthcare staff present a far from encouraging picture. Assaults against physicians, nurses, and EMTs alike continue to rise. Pending the 2018 figures from the General Council of Medical Colleges, expected to be published during March, current data shows that 2017 experienced a surge in assaults—representing a 45% increase compared to data from five years ago. Andalusia is one of the autonomous communities suffering the highest rate of assaults against healthcare workers; according to the latest figures released by the Andalusian Health Service (SAS), 241 physical assaults and 690 verbal assaults against medical staff were recorded, meaning that every day more than 3 Andalusian healthcare workers fall victim to an assault.
The Medical College of Cádiz organized our specialized training for healthcare personnel, Control of Agitated and/or Aggressive Patients, at its Cádiz headquarters in an 8-hour format split across two consecutive afternoons yesterday, Monday, and today, Tuesday. This training is a powerful tool for prevention and proper management of assaults (both verbal and physical) in healthcare settings, training staff to identify aggression indicators, hone communication and violent behavior management skills, and even handle the emotional toll on healthcare workers during these events.
We can proudly say that our company is a pioneer in developing this training, featuring its own ES3 methodology and its own textbook written by our faculty, now in its third edition. For over 7 years, we have been delivering the Agitated and/or Aggressive Patient Control training across the length and breadth of Spain alongside various Health Services, Medical and Nursing Colleges, Healthcare Unions, etc. Italy is another country where our teaching team has traveled, in that case training psychiatric specialists.
The uptick in assaults on healthcare staff across various autonomous communities is undeniably bad news, clearly highlighting that we must continue focusing on prevention. We would love to reach all healthcare personnel to equip them with the necessary tools to anticipate any physical or verbal assault they might encounter. Unfortunately, we too often observe that measures adopted across different sectors fail to meet healthcare workers’ actual needs: online courses, generic self-defense workshops, internal training led by non-specialized security personnel… these are common choices. However, based on our experience, these are not valid preventive measures because they neither educate nor empower healthcare staff by enhancing the skills inherent to their profession. Why did our specialized healthcare training go practically global in 2018 and earn such strong acceptance among healthcare workers? Precisely because it elevates and addresses all these fundamental factors.
En el sector del ocio, la formación continua es la mejor herramienta de prevención.
Si quieres elevar los estándares de protección de tu establecimiento o recibir más información sobre nuestras jornadas de concienciación, contacta con nosotros hoy mismo y construyamos juntos un entorno más seguro.
