Canadian Nurses Dealing with Increased Rate of Assaults
Ontario’s University Health Network saw nurse assaults nearly double in a stretch between 2012 and 2014.
Toronto General Hospital is the largest hospital under the University Health Network with 417 beds.
According to data collected by a Canadian health network assaults on nurses are rising.
The University Health Network (UHN), which includes several hospitals in Toronto, has recorded an increase in violence directed at hospital staff over the past three years, according to thestar.com.
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A UHN spokesperson said the increasing frequency of hospital violence is a result of changes in violent incident reporting, but Campus Safety Magazine had previously reported on a recent nurse assault in British Columbia that led the province’s nurse union to criticize hospital security standards.
The data shows violent incidents increased in UHN hospitals from 166 in 2012 to 331 in 2014.
Some hospital officials feel the nurse’s union is encouraging members more than ever to report assaults, although the nurse’s union claims hospitals try to prevent nurses from reporting assaults in some cases.
UHN includes massive hospitals like Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Western Hospital. The health network employs roughly 13,000 staff and sees more than one million patients each year.
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