The International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety (IAHSS) has released a new industry guideline titled “Violent Patient / Patient Visitor Management”.

“Violence stemming from patients and patient visitors present considerable risk and concern to the healthcare industry. Healthcare Facilities (HCFs) should establish specific violence prevention and aggression management policies, processes and practices to deter, identify and manage violent events.”

The Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention Act would direct OSHA to create a standard that would require healthcare facilities to develop and implement facility- and unit-specific workplace violence prevention plans.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is considering a federal standard to prevent workplace violence in healthcare.

It costs more than $2 billion every year in hospital charges to treat victims of firearms-related injuries, according to a study released at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA).

62 percent of workplace violence involved Maryland healthcare workers in 2010, despite the fact that these workers only make up 16 percent of the state's workforce.