An internal poll showed that 40% of nurses employed at the Robert Schuman Hospitals were victims of verbal or physical assaults at their workplace last year. Patients were responsible for some of the incidents, the frequency of which has increased over the course of the pandemic.
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To counteract the problem, the HRS are organising yearly awareness days focused on violence at the workplace, the latest of which took place on Friday. Staff members thus received the opportunity to discuss appropriate ways of reacting to such incidents with psychologists and specialised coaches.
About 60 people joined the workshop on Friday, the majority of whom were personnel that are regularly in direct contact with patients. According to Karine Rollot, director of human resources at HRS, it is important to address the set of problems to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff members.
Rollot elaborated that they discussed psychosocial aspects a lot, followed by burnout, and then the lifting of taboos still felt in other institutions, including the word ‘violence’.
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Emergency rooms and psychiatric wings are particularly affected by violent outbursts, explained Prof Dr Sami Richa from the Saint Joseph University of Beirut, who travelled to Luxembourg to help lead one of the seminars.
Professor Dr Richa noted: “Demand in emergency rooms is acute with patients who are often disorientated and arrive with requests for rapid care, which may quickly overwhelm nurses both in terms of numbers and demand. So, this inevitably creates tensions. In psychiatric wings, hospitalisations also often represent acute moments that can lead to violence.”
Overall, the pandemic has only increased the severity of the situation, which has also been felt at the HRS.
Fabrice Caroulle, who is in charge of accommodating pregnant women, stated: “Tensions necessarily increased due to the restrictions, as for instance the limitation on visits. People were not used to not being able to come for visits or having to follow preventive measures, such as wearing a mask. Then there was all the saturation from the long-lasting crisis, which is still present.”
Professor Dr Richa concluded by stressing the importance of learning to deal with verbal and physical violence, a process facilitated by regular training for staff members.
