AI can help keep health care workers safe

None of us should have to worry about getting shot at our workplace. Sadly, however, our country is facing a perfect storm of unprecedented circumstances: rising gun violence, increased mental health concerns, high levels of generalized anxiety, and employees returning to our workplaces after the pandemic.

As healthcare leaders, we have a responsibility to care for all our employees and the public we visit. That means we can no longer ignore reality: our workplaces are not immune to a senseless tragedy happening right where we are.

The numbers are worrying. In 2020, murders increased in US cities overall. Homicides increased by 33 percent and gun homicides by 37 percent compared to 2019. According to data published by the FBI, this was the largest single-year increase in more than a century.

When it comes to our workplaces, the National Safety Council reports that assaults (including shootings) are the fifth leading cause of work-related deaths. In 2020 alone, 705 workers lost their lives to violence in the United States. And in 2021, more than 20,000 workplace assaults resulted in 481 deaths.

Shockingly, behind transportation accidents, workplace violence is the number one cause of death for women, accounting for nearly 25% of female workplace deaths in 2020, according to a 2021 report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Violence in the workplace is indiscriminate. It is a threat to every industry and size of organization – but it has reached epidemic levels in the healthcare industry.

workplace violence in health care

Recently, the American Journal of Managed Care published findings that seven out of 10 emergency physicians reported physical harassment at work. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 44 percent of nurses reported experiencing physical violence and 68 percent reported experiencing verbal abuse.

With US health care facilities accounting for 18.3 percent of GDP and 22 million jobs (2021), the environment represents a unique organization-wide exposure that demands protection. When gun violence, and violence in general, goes unchecked in any of our facilities, the physical and psychological effects can be severe, lasting, even devastating.

In addition to injuries and tragic loss of life, the consequences of uncontrolled gun violence create worker anxiety, loss of productivity and workdays, and significant legal and reputational harm.

It’s no surprise that eight out of 10 Americans consider violent crime a major issue in America, and our collective concern is now being measured. According to the 2022 Stress in America poll of 3,982 US adults, 75% cited violence and crime as a top cause of concern, with a third of those surveyed saying they avoid certain places as a result.

Every organization has a responsibility

As leaders, each of us acted quickly, effectively and creatively during the pandemic to protect the health and well-being of our employees, customers and patients.

Now in 2023, the onus is on us to make that same smart pivot to protect our workplaces from senseless gun violence. We might think that this level of security is out of reach — or that it looks like a TSA-type barrier to the free flow of traffic in and out of our buildings — but it’s not.

Security technologies now include increasingly sophisticated metal detection systems that can help us prevent and reduce senseless acts of violence cost-effectively.

New ways of thinking about AI and security

Almost every company today relies on artificial intelligence in some way to help it run more efficiently and contribute to bottom-line growth. AI has transformed our manual operations into smart processes operating at unprecedented speed and scale.

In fact, AI has literally changed our lives and the way we spend our days. From the machines we exercise on, to our voice-activated home systems and work productivity tools. This same powerful AI technology can help us protect our people and the public to come, using advanced sensors, cameras and machine learning models to create safe zones.

With this type of AI weapon security system, security becomes a frictionless experience that allows most foot traffic to flow through – while preventing bad elements with guns from entering our buildings.

At Northwell, in addition to using AI-based protections including Evolve Technology’s Evolve Express, we established the Center for Gun Violence Prevention to coordinate efforts at the local, state and national levels to make gun violence a top health care priority.

We develop and implement the best by researching hospital-based violence intervention strategies, developing a public health approach to combat this epidemic, and leading a peer-to-peer learning collaboration of more than 600 hospitals and health systems in 38 states. have been Practices to reduce gun violence.

value of peace of mind

As business leaders today, we are constantly challenged to look at new ways to create an environment of security from a cultural, physical, psychological and technological perspective.

Whether our workplaces use a hybrid model, or we require all of our employees to be on-site, our people are our number one investment. It is essential to create safe zones for them to collaborate and do their best work.

It has been difficult to watch workers in today’s most risky work environments – including education and healthcare – leave their professions by the thousands because they cannot cope with the anxiety of coming to work to do their jobs. Let’s experience.

An unsafe work environment creates job dissatisfaction, burnout and low levels of productivity. It’s an unsettling reality – and yet accessible and effective multifunctional solutions exist.

In addition to adopting new technologies, senior leaders should also consider prioritizing the creation and implementation of comprehensive workplace violence prevention plans – then socializing them through company-wide training.

We live in a more dangerous world. Now is the time for us to leverage our leadership to take action to protect the safety, security and peace of mind of our employees and the public in our care.

Michael Dowling is President and CEO of Northwell Health, where he leads a clinical, educational and research enterprise with a workforce of more than 83,000 and annual revenues of $16.5 billion. She is one of health care’s most influential voices, taking a stand on social issues like gun violence and immigration that many health system CEOs shy away from.