Workplace Violence Prevention Training, Safety Resources, and Commitment to HHCWs’ Safety

Background: The threat of workplace violence (WPV) is a primary safety concern for home health care workers (HHCWs). WPV prevention training is a critical tool for HHCWs’ safety. Yet, most existing WPV prevention training is limited or not specific to HHCWs’ environment, the patient’s home, and neighborhood. The purpose of this study was to describe WPV prevention training, resources used, and commitment to HHCWs’ safety. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, HHCWs from two sites located in Southwestern Ohio completed the Violence Against Home Healthcare and Hospice Workers survey, a 37-item survey used to describe frequency and characteristics of WPV prevention training and resources. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Findings: Half ( n = 25) of the HHCWs received WPV prevention training. Training content focused on characteristics of aggressive/violent patients and family members ( n = 19, 82.6%), but limited content about characteristics of hazardous neighborhoods ( n = 15, 65.2%). Cellular phones ( n = 43, 97.7%) were primarily used as a resource to promote safety, few cellular phones ( n = 1, 2.3%) were provided by the agency. Conclusions/Application to Practice: HHCWs described WPV prevention training content and resources used to promote safety. WPV prevention training is deficient in procedures for seeking psychological care, screening patients for violent behavior, skills for self-protection, characteristics of hazardous neighborhoods, and physical maneuvers and verbal methods to diffuse or avoid aggressive behavior. Access to WPV prevention training and resources for HHCWs needs to be strengthened. Occupational Health Nurses can assist their employers with developing WPV prevention training for HHCWs.