ENA Podcast · Emergency Nurses Association

A Holistic Approach to Prioritizing Workplace Violence Solutions

·24 min·2 clips

Penn Presbyterian's workplace violence committee used 800 staff survey responses to implement weapons detection and duress badges for frontline safety.

This episode features Dan Campana of the Emergency Nurses Association in conversation with Lisa Triantos, clinical director for emergency and behavioral health nursing at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. They discuss practical, institution-level strategies for reducing violence against healthcare workers. Triantos chairs her hospital's workplace violence committee and shares initiatives implemented within the Penn Medicine system. The discussion references specific violent incidents, including a shooting in a Kentucky ED and a hit-and-run at Penn Presbyterian where nurses were injured. Penn Medicine's approach began with an internal survey that gathered nearly 800 responses from clinical staff about safety concerns. Early interventions included restricting hospital entrances, installing weapons detection systems, and improving parking lot lighting and signage. The hospital also issued duress badges to frontline staff for silently alerting security. A key data point highlighted is Penn Presbyterian's status as one of the nation's busiest EDs having one of the lowest assault rates. De-escalation training was shifted from voluntary to a mandatory part of nursing staff onboarding. The committee standardized a 24/7 notification protocol for leaders following any violent event, ensuring follow-up support for staff. After the hit-and-run, the policy for patient extrication from vehicles was changed within hours to require the engine be turned off first. A major insight is the deliberate effort to treat all violent events, including daily verbal aggression, with equal seriousness to encourage reporting. Triantos emphasizes that data on frequency and personal narratives from reports are powerful tools for advocating to senior leadership. She argues that upfront investments in safety can yield returns through reduced staff turnover and injuries. The episode notes that hospital systems alone cannot solve the issue, advocating for broader legislative and judicial action. Triantos stresses that effective solutions require continuous evaluation and are not a "one and done" implementation. The tone is professional, solution-oriented, and grounded in firsthand administrative experience. The style is an informal interview, focusing on actionable strategies and institutional case studies rather than abstract debate. This episode is ideal for nurse managers, hospital administrators, and safety committee members seeking a model for a multidisciplinary violence prevention program. Listeners looking for a broad sociological analysis of healthcare violence or critiques of institutional policy may find its scope too narrowly focused on operational fixes.

As heard by us

A grounded look at workplace violence response, from recognition and follow-up to staff support.

The episode treats workplace violence in emergency care as a serious operational issue, and it stays centered on what frontline staff need after an event.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a clear-eyed look at protecting frontline staff, start here.

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