Technology can help to reduce workplace violence

Deploying technology judiciously and enabling front-line nurses to choose when and how to use it can help to reduce workplace violence. Examples include wiring patient rooms with cameras, speakers and microphones to pick up potential threats. AONL member Bonnie Clipper, DNP, RN, CEO of Innovation Advantage, Austin, Texas, notes artificial intelligence shows promise for predicting and preempting behavioral risks, and virtual reality can improve de-escalation training. In addition, AONL member Sharon Pappas, PhD, RN, CNE at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, says her system has integrated incidence reporting with its electronic health record to make it easier for nurses to report violence. Emory uses a huddle system incorporating all levels of nursing to synthesize and act on findings. (HealthLeaders article, 12/15/23)