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Preventing violence

Home healthcare needs a different violence-prevention plan

Working alone in someone else’s home changes the support and environmental controls available to a clinician.

2021 science bulletin · Violence risks in home healthcare

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What the source explains

The bulletin describes the distinctive risks experienced by home healthcare workers, including unpredictable surroundings and limited control over the worksite. It reviews research on verbal abuse, physical violence, harassment and other hazards. The findings support treating home visits as a separate planning problem rather than assuming hospital arrangements travel with the worker. Reported percentages come from particular studies and are not a forecast for an individual visit.

Using this reading in your hospital

Before adding home visits to a service, establish who holds the schedule, how a worker checks in and what happens after a missed check-in. Discuss when a visit needs additional staff or a different setting. Keep patient details in approved systems.

A question for your team

If a visiting clinician cannot safely make a phone call, what agreed action will the base team take?

Original source

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