56% of ER nurses were assaulted in the past 30 days

In an Emergency Nurses Association survey, 56% of emergency department nurses reported being verbally assaulted, threatened, or physically attacked within the previous 30 days. A Press Ganey analysis found that two nurses are assaulted every hour across US hospitals. The rate of serious workplace violence injuries is 6x higher for hospital workers than all other private-sector employees. So what? One in ten nurses say they are considering leaving nursing entirely because of ongoing violence. So what? Departments with high assault rates have the highest vacancy rates, meaning the remaining nurses face even more patients (including violent ones) with fewer colleagues for backup. So what? 80% of assaults go unreported because nurses believe nothing will change, which means hospitals lack the data to justify investing in security interventions. Why does this persist? Assaulting a nurse carries weaker legal consequences than assaulting other people in most states. Hospitals resist pressing charges against patients (their customers). And understaffing itself causes the long wait times and crowded conditions that trigger patient aggression in the first place.