776 Preventing Workplace Violence in Healthcare

Back around 1990, the security contractor for which I was working had just taken over the contract at a small community hospital in Connecticut. At the time, I believe it was about 50-60 beds. We assumed the contract at 4:00 PM. At 5:30, I heard one of the emergency department (ED) nurses scream for help, so I went charging in. The patient was a young male, probably in his 20s, and seemed to be high on some sort of drug. He was fighting with the nurse and was giving her a severe beating. I managed to take him down back onto the gurney and called for the nurse to get some restraints. "We don't have any in the treatment rooms!" I told her to get me a bed sheet and some towels or pillowcases and cloth tape. I got his arms secured to the rails and was working on his feet when the cavalry arrived. The attending demanded to know who I was. "I'm your new security officer." He also wanted to know where I learned the sheet-and-towel trick. I told him my previous assignment had been the ED at St Raphael's in New Haven, which was a major inner-city hospital. I had received restraint training at St Ray's, including the sheet-and-towel for the occasions when they ran out of leather restraints. The attending and the nurses were thrilled they had security who could help them, instead of just calling 911.

Some of the changes that came about after that incident:

• Restraints were kept in every treatment room in the ED.
• All security staff received training in the hospital's restraint system (and we shared the sheet-and-towel procedure with those who were not familiar with it).
• Security was directed to respond at the first sign of trouble.
• Two trainers from our Boston headquarters provided Mandt training to hospital staff who had not received it.
• The trainers and other Boston staff worked with the client to revise their emergency plans for the ED (and other hospital areas).
• Security staff were promptly added to the Emergency Operations and Planning Committees.