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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – One in three U.S. hospitals reported an increase in violence and assaults in 2014 despite widespread rising security budgets, according to a recent survey of 380 hospital administrators, chief security officers and staff by Guardian 8 Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Guardian 8 Holdings (OTCQB: GRDH). Top security concerns included the safety of patients and security officers as well as disruptions to patient care, according to the survey.
Reported increases in attacks and assaults included violence by patients and/or their families against emergency department personnel and staff such as nurses. Nearly half of respondents (46 percent) reported increasing their security budgets in 2014. The findings highlight the importance of proper security on hospital campuses and the need to address security staff turnover rates as high as 300 percent to 400 percent per year, according to Guardian 8, a provider of enhanced non-lethal (ENL) devices, such as the Pro V2, built for the security industry.
“No hospital facility can achieve its crucial mission of providing quality patient care without proper security to ensure patient, staff and visitor safety,” said Paul Hughes, Chief Operating Officer of Guardian 8. “The inability to properly address a violent situation does not just affect the morale of security personnel, but also of the doctors and nurses around them. Low morale makes recruiting and retention a serious issue across the board. Minimizing security officer turnover therefore needs to be an integral part of a hospital’s overall security solution.”
An equipment issue
Guardian 8 maintains the excessive turnover in the hospital security industry is more an equipment issue than a matter of pay. When security officers feel safe, properly equipped and well prepared, they are less likely to leave-taking their first-hand knowledge of a hospital’s facilities, risks and protocols with them.
Hughes urged hospital security directors to recommend to administrators the smartest, safest security solutions. Exacerbating high security staff turnover, violent incidents lead to injuries and lost workdays. Add to that the high cost of replacing staff, estimated at 25 percent to 200 percent of the employee’s annual salary to cover the costs of advertising, interviewing, background checks, hiring and training.
According to the survey, 59 percent of respondents reported being unfamiliar with laws in their state restricting the use of non-lethal weapons. So if hospital administrators deny a request for security equipment for regulatory reasons, Hughes urged security directors to ask for the code or regulation in question.
Other survey highlights include the following:
- Respondents’ top security concerns: patient safety (57 percent), officer safety (56 percent), disruptions to patient care (24 percent)
- Response options: 15 percent of hospital security personnel are unarmed; 28 percent are armed; 57 percent use intermediate, non-lethal devices
- Variety of equipment carried by hospital security personnel: pepper spray, 41 percent; two-way communication system, 40 percent; baton, 37 percent; stun gun, 28 percent; on security officer video, 26 percent
- Seventy percent of respondents use an incident reporting system that includes a dashboard of activities for review
- Fifty-one percent of respondents said they would feel comfortable moving away from their current security options
Methodology
To understand recent trends in hospital violence and assault, and gauge top concerns and response options, Guardian 8 fielded an online survey of 380 hospital administrators, chief security officers, and nurses and hospital staff across the nation from Dec. 5, 2014 – Jan. 21, 2015.
About Guardian 8 Holdings
Guardian 8 Holdings, through its wholly owned operating subsidiary, Guardian 8 Corp., is the developer and manufacturer of the Pro V2. The enhanced non-lethal (ENL) response to threats revolutionizes workplaces safety and mitigates risk. The Pro V2 helps the operator protect themselves and others, allows time for law enforcement to respond, and initiates communication and incident recording. Guardian 8 was awarded a “Campus Safety BEST Award” for 2014, was named one of “Ten Companies to Watch” by the Phoenix Business Journal, and landed an ASIS Accolades Award for “Security’s Best.” To learn more, visit www.Guardian8.com. Follow Guardian 8 on LinkedIn, YouTube,Facebook and Twitter.
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