The battle against violence in U.S. hospitals: an analysis of the recent I IAHSS Foundation's healthcare crime surveys.

In this article, the author analyzes the possible reasons for the reported drop in hospital violence in the 2016IAHSS Crime Survey compared to previous surveys. He also reviews the one statistic that has remained constant in all the recent crime surveys and recommends an approach in violence prevention programs that may prove successful in reducing workplace violence and staff injuries.

A data-driven model for estimating industry average numbers of hospital security staff.

In this article the authors report the results of an expanded survey, financed by the International Healthcare Security and Safety Foundation (IHSSF), applied to the development of a model for determining the number of security officers required by a hospital.

Reducing violence in healthcare facilities.

Looking behind the statistics on increases in healthcare violence incidents, the author finds that these incidents directly impact a small percentage of employees. However he sees an opportunity for administrators and security professionals to use this heightened awareness to collaborate on comprehensive plans to manage workplace violence, not only to reduce the direct impact of workplace violence incidents, but also to mitigate the indirect impacts such as employee morale degradation, fear of workplace violence, and costs of workplace violence. In this article he provides the elements of an effective workplace violence management plan.

Staffing benchmarks: a model for determining how many security officers are enough.

The authors describe the development of a model which assists with answering the question, "for a facility with certain characteristics, what would be the industry average number of security FTE's?" Through the use of multiple regression analysis using actual field data, an objective means of making this determination is possible, they report.

For healthcare security professionals: using crime analysis to solve problems in 15 small steps.

The purpose of this article, according to the author is to identify current research in security and crime prevention and to identify the means of optimizing healthcare security programs through informed decision making.

The gentle art of threat assessment.

Accurate threat assessments are essential to designing a program that protects hospital assets, patients, staff, and visitors. The article reviews the sources used to quantify and qualify threats to hospitals including those that are relevant and those that are less relevant.

Vulnerability and risk assessment in the environment of care.

A key component in the identifying and managing of security risks by hospitals is a vulnerability assessment. In this article, the authors explain the differences between asset-based and threat-based vulnerability assessments, and provide guidance in designing meaningful security surveys. The steps to be taken once the final risk assessment report is ready are reviewed to assist the security decision maker in assimilating the data into a meaningful security plan that will address the weaknesses and exemplify the strengths of the organization.

Strategic security management: risk assessments in the environment of care.

Securing the environment of care is a challenging and continuous effort for most healthcare security managers, who face unique challenges in balancing the open campus environment with the protection needs of the hospital's patients, employees, and other assets. By conducting a comprehensive risk assessment, hospital security managers can prioritize identified risks, develop an effective hospital security program, and reduce risk to a manageable and acceptable level. This article discusses a 5-step risk assessment process that enhances the hospital security program by effectively mitigating risks to the hospital.