Affiliations: University of Cincinnati College of Nursing,
Cincinnati, OH, USA | UK Chandler Hospital Emergency & Trauma
Services, Lexington, KY, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Gordon Lee Gillespie, PhD,
University of Cincinnati College of Nursing, P.O. Box 21-0038, Cincinnati, OH
45221-0038, USA. Tel.: +1 513 558 5236; Fax: +1 513 558 2142; E-mail:
gordon.gillespie@uc.edu
Abstract: Objective: The emergency department (ED) is among the most at-risk
settings for violence by patients and visitors against ED workers. A first
response to potential or actual events of workplace violence is often
contacting hospital security officers for assistance. The purpose of this study
is to describe ED workers' views of security officers' effectiveness during
actual events of verbal and/or physical violence. Participants: Healthcare workers (n=31) from an urban pediatric ED in the Midwest United
States. Methods: Participants were interviewed regarding their
experiences with workplace violence. Verbatim transcripts were qualitatively
analyzed. Results: Six themes were identified: (1) a need for security
officers, (2) security officers' availability and response, (3) security
officers' presence or involvement, (4) security officers' ability to handle
violent situations, (5) security officers' role with restraints, and (6)
security officers' role with access. Conclusions: It is important that
early communication between security officers and ED workers takes place before
violent events occur. A uniform understanding of the roles and responsibilities
of security officers should be clearly communicated to ED workers. Future
research needs to be conducted with hospital-based security officers to
describe their perceptions about their role in the prevention and management of
workplace violence.
