When a distraught man shot a doctor, killed his mother and fatally turned the gun on himself at Baltimore?s Johns Hopkins Hospital last fall, the public learned what healthcare workers know all too well. The halls of healing aren?t immune to workplace violence. In fact, healthcare workers are about three times more likely than workers in other industries to be injured by acts of violence, according to "State of the Sector/Healthcare and Social Assistance," a report published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in 2009. Workplace violence in healthcare settings is increasing, according to the American Nurses Association. Of all industries reporting physical injuries from workplace violence, the healthcare sector tops the list.
