Karen Coughlin is advocating for laws that addresses office violence in healthcare services. She believes it needs to be necessary for these services to evaluate the danger components related to office violence and create a plan with enter from direct care workers on the best way to tackle it. This plan needs to be reevaluated yearly. Moreover, there needs to be reporting mechanisms in place in order that knowledge may be collected and shared with the Division of Public Well being. At present, hospitals are reluctant to report incidents, however there needs to be penalties and reporting necessities to make sure accountability. Victims of office assault must also be given time without work to handle the problem in the event that they resolve to press fees. Coughlin helps legislative payments that might enhance penalties for office assaults in opposition to healthcare employees.

Whereas Massachusetts doesn’t at present have legal guidelines making office violence in opposition to healthcare employees a felony, 32 different states do. In whole, 38 states have legal guidelines addressing office violence in opposition to healthcare employees and nurses. Coughlin emphasizes that the presence of a measurable and enforceable office violence prevention program results in elevated high quality of care, decreased incidents of violence, and a extra comfy work setting. This, in flip, helps with workers recruitment and retention. Coughlin believes that healthcare employees ought to really feel supported and have the flexibility to work by way of office violence incidents with the assist of directors, employers, and colleagues.