R3 Report Issue 45: Workplace Violence Prevention in Home Care Settings
Effective January 1, 2025, two new and one revised workplace violence prevention requirements will apply to all Joint Commission–accredited home care (OME) organizations. Similar requirements for hospitals, critical access hospitals, and behavioral health care and human services took effect January 1, 2022, and July 1, 2024, respectively.
Workplace violence continues to pose a significant occupational hazard for home care workers. However, this prevalence may be underestimated due to underreporting, as incidents are often perceived as minor. Moreover, the lack of action or the normalization of such incidents as part of the job exacerbates the issue. Inadequate training also contributes to the problem, with a research study finding that 62.5% of home care workers interviewed indicated receiving training related to workplace violence. Only 48.9% indicated receiving policies and procedures about workplace violence prevention. The researchers found that when incidents occurred, very few people received information regarding seeking medical care and even fewer received information about psychological care.
The new and revised Joint Commission requirements provide a framework to guide OME organizations in developing new and reinforcing existing workplace violence prevention efforts. Requirements focus on leadership oversight, policies and procedures, reporting systems, data collection and analysis, post incident support and follow-up, and staff training and education as means to decrease workplace violence.
Along with the new requirements, the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Home Care (CAMHC) Glossary now includes a definition of workplace violence: “An act or threat occurring at the workplace that can include any of the following: verbal, nonverbal, written, or physical aggression; threatening, intimidating, harassing, or humiliating words or actions; bullying; sabotage; sexual harassment; physical assaults; or other behaviors of concern involving staff, licensed practitioners, patients, or visitors.”