2022 Worst Year Ever for Attacks on Healthcare Workers Worldwide
June 27, 2023
ISMIE’s resources offer strategies to tamp down violence in U.S. healthcare settings
Violence and threats against healthcare workers, hospitals and other healthcare facilities around the world reached a new record high last year, according to a new report from the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition. In 2022, more than 1,900 attacks were recorded, a 45% increase from 2021. The group has been tracking such threats and attacks globally for the past decade.
The report documents 232 healthcare workers killed, 298 kidnapped and 294 unjustly arrested on various charges, including even reporting the causes of anti-government protestors’ injuries and death. The main conflict zones were in Ukraine and Myanmar. The Coalition also notes that 704 different healthcare facilities were destroyed in 25 countries leaving many patients without treatment centers.
While not in a war zone, U.S. physicians and other healthcare professionals continue to be at significantly higher risk of workplace violence than employees working in other fields. Aggressive behavior is not limited to active shooter situations; it also refers to incidents of healthcare workers being on the receiving end of yelling, spitting or shoving.
ISMIE offers guidance on ways to limit the risk of workplace violence in an online resource available to policyholders. ISMIE also offers an on-demand course, Providing Care in an Unpredictable Environment: Strategies to Stay Safe in Modern American Healthcare. It describes strategies for developing a workplace violence plan to keep patients, staff and healthcare professionals safe.
For more information, please contact the Risk Management Division by email.
ISMIE’s resources offer strategies to tamp down violence in U.S. healthcare settings
Violence and threats against healthcare workers, hospitals and other healthcare facilities around the world reached a new record high last year, according to a new report from the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition. In 2022, more than 1,900 attacks were recorded, a 45% increase from 2021. The group has been tracking such threats and attacks globally for the past decade.
The report documents 232 healthcare workers killed, 298 kidnapped and 294 unjustly arrested on various charges, including even reporting the causes of anti-government protestors’ injuries and death. The main conflict zones were in Ukraine and Myanmar. The Coalition also notes that 704 different healthcare facilities were destroyed in 25 countries leaving many patients without treatment centers.
While not in a war zone, U.S. physicians and other healthcare professionals continue to be at significantly higher risk of workplace violence than employees working in other fields. Aggressive behavior is not limited to active shooter situations; it also refers to incidents of healthcare workers being on the receiving end of yelling, spitting or shoving.
ISMIE offers guidance on ways to limit the risk of workplace violence in an online resource available to policyholders. ISMIE also offers an on-demand course, Providing Care in an Unpredictable Environment: Strategies to Stay Safe in Modern American Healthcare. It describes strategies for developing a workplace violence plan to keep patients, staff and healthcare professionals safe.
For more information, please contact the Risk Management Division by email.