Impact of Patient-Engaged Video Surveillance on Nursing Workforce Safety: Patient Aggression/Violence.

BACKGROUND: Health care workers are 4 times more likely to suffer violence than workers in other industries. PURPOSE: The aim was to examine types of patients' verbal/physical abuse against the nursing workforce observed through patient-engaged video surveillance (PEVS) and interventions initiated by monitor technicians. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted to analyze all types of patient-initiated abuse, physical and verbal, reported from 73 hospitals and patient response to PEVS. RESULTS: Of 150 434 patients whom RNs enrolled into 24-hour PEVS, 5034 patients (3%) were identified by RNs as at risk for aggressive/violent behavior as their primary or secondary reason for PEVS enrollment, and 32 (0.60%) patients exhibited such behavior. A total of 221 patients demonstrated aggressive/violent behaviors, 32 (15%) were identified as at risk, and 189 (85%) were not. However, 5002 (99%; 5002/5034) of the patients identified as a risk for aggressive/violent behaviors did not exhibit these behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-engaged video surveillance is an effective method to track and trend patient aggression toward nursing staff, increasing patient and nursing workforce safety. Because 99% of the patients who exhibited aggressive/violent behavior were not identified by RNs as at risk, organizations should consider adding violence risk tools as part of patients' admission assessment.

Outcomes of Patient-Engaged Video Surveillance on Falls and Other Adverse Events.

Patient-engaged video surveillance implemented in 71 hospitals over 1 year revealed low rates in assisted and unassisted falls, room elopement, and line, tube, or drain dislodgement per 1000 days of surveillance. Monitor technicians interacted 20.5 times per day with patients who fell and initiated alarms for urgent unit staff response 2.38 times per day, and this accounted for the low fall rate (1.50 falls/1000 days of surveillance) in an adult population. Data on adverse events and timeliness of nursing response to actual urgent and emergent patient conditions provides evidence of the rapid contribution of patient-engaged video surveillance to patient safety.

Video Monitoring to Reduce Falls And Patient Companion Costs For Adult Inpatients.

With increasing acuity and simultaneous pressures for optimal productivity, reducing unnecessary patient companions has been a focus for many health care organizations. At the same time, nursing leaders are seeking to accelerate improvement in patient safety, specifically the prevention of falls. This study suggests the use of remote video monitoring is a safe tool for fall prevention. While there was a decrease in 1:1 sitter usage, there was no corollary increase in falls. In fact, falls decreased 35%. Not only was video monitoring a safe intervention, it was more effective than patient companions alone in decreasing falls by expanding the number of patients who are directly observed 24/7.