Hospital employee assault rates before and after enactment of the california hospital safety and security act

Carri Casteel; Corinne Peek-Asa; Maryalice Nocera; Jamie B Smith; James Blando; Suzi Goldmacher; Emily O'Hagan; David Valiante; Robert Harrison

doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2008.10.009

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Hospital employee assault rates before and after enactment of the california hospital safety and security act

Journal article

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Hospital employee assault rates before and after enactment of the california hospital safety and security act

Carri Casteel, Corinne Peek-Asa, Maryalice Nocera, Jamie B Smith, James Blando, Suzi Goldmacher, Emily O'Hagan, David Valiante and Robert Harrison

Annals of epidemiology, Vol.19(2), pp.125-133

02/2009

DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2008.10.009

PMID: 19185807

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Abstract

This study examines changes in violent event rates to hospital employees before and after enactment of the California Hospital Safety and Security Act in 1995. We compared pre- and post-initiative employee assault rates in California (n = 116) emergency departments and psychiatric units with those in New Jersey (n = 50), where statewide workplace violence initiatives do not exist. Poisson regression with generalized estimating equations was used to compare assault rates between a 3-year pre-enactment period (1993-1995) and a 6-year post-enactment period (1996-2001) using New Jersey hospitals as a temporal control. Assault rates among emergency department employees decreased 48% in California post-enactment, compared with emergency department employee assault rates in New Jersey (rate ratio [RR] = 0.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.31, 0.90). Emergency department employee assault rates decreased in smaller facilities (RR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.96) and for-profit-controlled hospitals (RR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.79) post-enactment. Among psychiatric units, for-profit-controlled hospitals (RR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.85) and hospitals located in smaller communities (RR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.92) experienced decreased assault rates post-enactment. Policy may be an effective method to increase safety to health care workers.

California - epidemiology

Crime Victims - statistics & numerical data

Emergency Service, Hospital - legislation & jurisprudence

Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data

Humans

New Jersey - epidemiology

Occupational Health - statistics & numerical data

Personnel, Hospital - statistics & numerical data

Poisson Distribution

Psychiatric Department, Hospital - legislation & jurisprudence

Psychiatric Department, Hospital - statistics & numerical data

Safety - legislation & jurisprudence

Safety - statistics & numerical data

Violence - legislation & jurisprudence

Violence - prevention & control

Violence - statistics & numerical data

Details

Title: Subtitle: Hospital employee assault rates before and after enactment of the california hospital safety and security act
Creators: Carri Casteel - Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA. ccasteel@email.unc.edu
Corinne Peek-Asa
Maryalice Nocera
Jamie B Smith
James Blando
Suzi Goldmacher
Emily O'Hagan
David Valiante
Robert Harrison
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Annals of epidemiology, Vol.19(2), pp.125-133
DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2008.10.009
PMID: 19185807
NLM abbreviation: Ann Epidemiol
ISSN: 1047-2797
eISSN: 1873-2585
Language: English
Date published: 02/2009
Academic Unit: Occupational and Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Nursing; Injury Prevention Research Center; Public Policy Center (Archive)
Record Identifier: 9984214709802771

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