Breaking Point: An Urgent Call to Action on Emergency Department Safety summarises a snapshot survey investigating the prevalence and impact of violence in emergency departments (EDs) which was sent to the Directors of Emergency Medicine (DEMs) at all 131 ACEM-accredited EDs.
The report showed that:
- violent incidents are significantly under-reported
- survey respondents felt that their concerns regarding ED violence were not being taken seriously enough by hospital executives
- violence and aggression are seen as part of working in EDs
- there is substantial variation in the level of training and access to hospital security officers across all EDs
This report confirms that violence in EDs has far-reaching consequences, takes a toll on staff morale and contributes to experienced healthcare professionals choosing to leave the workforce. Violence in Australian EDs is an escalating crisis that demands immediate and systemic intervention at a whole-of-hospital level. ACEM has published this report to create safer EDs for everyone.