guns and nurses - american nurse › wp-content › uploads › ... · researchers at johns hopkins...

4 American Nurse Today Volume 12, Number 1 AmericanNurseToday.com

THE AMBUSH SHOOTINGS in downtown Dallas lastJuly, which killed five police officers and woundedseven other people, cast a spotlight on gun violenceyet again. This and other recent incidents give us anopportunity to talk about the impact of gun violenceon nurses and their workplaces. Ironically, ANA’s dec-laration “Stop the Madness: End the Violence” was re-leased just 3 weeks before the Dallas incident (seegoo.gl/5183jN). With ANA’s Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation™ campaign under way, the importance of safeand healthy work environments once again comes tothe forefront.

The reality Guns are a reality; that’s not changing. Healthcare set-tings are vulnerable to active shooter events (ASEs)—rapidly evolving situations that give little warning. In2014, the FBI analyzed 63 ASEs and found that 44 last-ed 5 minutes or less and 23 ended in 2 minutes or less,even before police arrived. In these fast-moving dan-gers, nurses and other personnel potentially could affectthe outcome—if they’re prepared and know what to do.

Staggering statisticsThe statistics are staggering:• Someone dies from gun violence every 15 minutes

in the United States. • In 2013, 10.6 gun-related deaths occurred per

100,000 Americans, according to the Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention.Until this epidemic is proclaimed and remedies to

address it are funded, we can at least arm ourselveswith the facts and tap into expert resources to help usprepare ourselves individually and collectively.

The responseTo be better prepared and help create a safer work en-vironment, understand these critical concepts.

Hospitals and healthcare settings are unique Round-the-clock hours of operation, open access to thepublic, multiple entrances, and large numbers of staff,patients, and visitors create vulnerability unlike that inany other sector. The highly variable nature of specialtyareas, such as behavioral health, operating rooms,neonatal intensive care units, and MRI suites, calls forspecial planning and drills to address specific threats.

Nurses have a duty to care for their patients; we can’tsimply run and hide. Understand your legal obligationsand know your organization’s specific plan for yourpractice area. If no plan exists, help develop one.

Shootings in healthcare settings are differentResearchers at Johns Hopkins University analyzed 154hospital-related shooting incidents at 148 different hos-pitals from 2000 to 2011. They found one-third oc-curred in emergency departments and 19% in patientrooms. Unlike in the general population, where victimselection commonly is random, most hospital shootershad a relationship with the victim; 32% were current orestranged intimate partners, 25% were current or for-mer patients, and 5% were current or former employ-ees. So if you suspect a patient or coworker could be-come violent, speak up.

ASE preparation is differentIt should be a part of overall workplace-violence pre-vention. However, specific policies and procedures forASE preparation should be separate from other vio-lence-prevention efforts. As part of disaster planning,healthcare organizations prepare for low-probability,high-consequence situations. But ASE preparation dif-fers because incidents typically occur quickly, with lit-tle warning. Ask yourself, “Am I ready for this?” Collec-tively, let’s ask ourselves, “Are we ready for this?”

Reality-based training and resources are keyUnlike drills and tabletop exercises, reality-based train-ing simulates the incident and addresses the cold, hardfact that the shooter has the tactical advantage. Nursingresponse and messaging can be simulated to replacepanic with confidence.

Nurses are uniquely educated and positioned to pro-mote public health, safety, and awareness. Start a dia-logue about gun violence at your facility. Encouragesimulation training and build confidence in how youwill respond. Building ASE workplace capacity canhelp you continue to do what you and all nurses doevery day—save lives.

Lillee Gelinas, MSN, RN, FAANEditor-in-Chief

lgelinas@healthcommedia.com

Editorial

Guns and nurses