Workplace violence.

The purpose of this study is to investigate emergency department (ED) workplace violence and assess staff perceptions of safety. Healthcare workers, in particular emergency care professionals, are often the recipients of workplace violence. The majority of staff (73%) reported that they felt safe most of the time or always, and 8% responded that they never or rarely felt physically safe in the ED. Most of the sites (94%) reported the presence and availability of in-hospital security 24 hr per day. In total, more than 3,461 attacks were reported by the respondents over 5 years, with a median of 11 incidences of physical violence per site for the 5-year period.