From Reaction to Prevention: What a Complete Workplace Violence Prevention Program Looks Like (W6043)-From Reaction to Prevention What a Complete Workplace Violence Prevention Program Looks Like Recording

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Video Summary

Michael Dunning presented strategies for shifting healthcare workplace-violence programs from reactive response to proactive prevention. He emphasized that policies, training, reporting, response teams, and staff support must work together as one coordinated program, with clear ownership, executive backing, and shared responsibility across departments.<br /><br />Effective prevention starts with recognizing warning signs early, teaching staff when and how to raise concerns, and intervening consistently. Reporting must be simple and trusted: organizations should acknowledge reports, investigate them, act on findings, and communicate outcomes back to staff. Regular, role-specific training and brief scenario discussions during routine meetings can reinforce skills beyond annual courses.<br /><br />After an incident, leaders should check on everyone affected—including the person involved, staff, witnesses, and colleagues who hear about it—then review what happened, identify corrective actions, assign responsibility, and confirm completion. Useful measures include not only incident counts but also response times, injuries, workers’ compensation, sick leave, turnover, and staff perceptions.<br /><br />Dunning stressed that culture matters as much as written policy: staff must understand what workplace violence includes, feel safe reporting it, and see meaningful follow-through. For resource-limited facilities, he recommended examining incidents and their triggers, prioritizing early recognition and non-escalation, and tailoring support to local needs. He also advised involving clinical, security, HR, risk, and quality representatives in assessments.<br /><br />Practical prevention can begin with simple actions: pause and listen before entering a room, knock, introduce yourself, explain what you are about to do, and seek help when something feels unsafe.

Keywords

healthcare workplace violence

violence prevention

proactive prevention

staff reporting

warning signs

training programs

incident response

executive leadership

workplace safety culture

non-escalation