WellSpan Health saw a 66% reduction in workplace violence within a year of implementing technology from connected safety platform Canopy, the organizations announced in a joint case study.
The organization said the reduction in injuries from DART (multi-day removal, restricted or redirected) included centralizing public safety operations and emergency response protocols, supported by wearables and real-time location system (RTLS) technology for staff to call for help in the event of an escalation.
Before working with Canopy, Bill White, WelSpan Health’s vice president of public safety, said notifications are typically delayed.
“Our team members didn’t have an easy way to ask for help,” White said in the case study. “Team members feel secure knowing that a button is readily available, that they can press it and get immediate help.”
This case study found a reduction in workplace injuries, as well as an increase in verbal escalation reporting and successful use of the system in medical emergencies.
“The system’s impact extended to clinical emergencies; in one instance, one team member used a button on the canopy during a cardiac event,” the report said. “The system provided accurate location data instantly, allowing our team members to receive the medical care they needed.”
Mr White said the reduction in injuries was the result of “multiple efforts working together”, adding that the canopy “played a key role” in the success.
Workplace safety is a top priority for hospital leaders, especially with the increase in safety-related events during the pandemic. A recent survey by Axon Health found that 93% of leaders consider safety and security to be essential or a top priority. Additionally, 84% of respondents reported at least a “moderate business interruption” related to a safety issue in the past year.
This experience shows that hospitals can prevent violence against staff, and that violent incidents are “not just inevitable,” Canopy CEO Shan Sinha said in an emailed statement to Fierce Healthcare.
Sinha said the Connected Safety Platform creates technology designed to detect incidents before they escalate, providing a solution for organizations “that are truly committed to the safety of their staff.”
“The impact is clear: When nurses and clinicians are injured and away from work, they are unable to do their jobs or care for patients,” Sinha said. “In just one year, Welspun reduced the number of work days lost due to injury by 66%. This showed staff that the organization had their backs and gave them more days each year to do what they do best: care for patients.”
