The Challenge
Tackling physical and verbal violence has been one of the top priorities for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) since its inception.
The Health Care in Danger (HCiD) Initiative forms a key part of this work and has been working with key stakeholders across the globe to raise awareness of the problem, but also providing practical solutions to governments, healthcare providers and workers.
What We Did
Development of training resources
The NSMC was commissioned by the ICRC to develop:
- An online behaviour change tool to reduce the number of weapons entering healthcare facilities and;
- A training course for healthcare workers to help them deescalate the verbal and physical violence they often face.
Frontline healthcare workers were closely involved in the development of these resources by conducting qualitative research to understand the challenges they face, as well as seeking their views on the resources as they were developed.
Pretesting of resources
The two initiatives were successfully piloted at the Tripoli General Hospital (TGH) in the north of Lebanon which faces many challenges; in particular the threat of violence to healthcare workers in the Emergency Room (ER). The ER is often severely overcrowded with patients and carers leading to chaotic conditions that sometimes result in verbal or physical violence against healthcare workers.
Implementation and Monitoring
These resources are now being rolled out across the different national Red Cross organisations, through a training programme led by the NSMC.
An evaluation of the TGH pilot, carried by the NSMC and the Healthcare in Danger Team at the ICRC, demonstrates that the resources achieved a measurable reduction in violence against healthcare workers, as well as increasing their skills to deescalate situations of verbal and physical violence.
What We Achieved
The tools are now being used in healthcare facilities across the world, especially in conflict zones. As well as reducing the number of weapons entering hospitals and reducing violence against healthcare workers, they are also ensuring that patients' are receiving higher levels of care, in a safer medical environment.
The resources can be accessed below:
