Given the shift to community-based care, health care providers are facing an increased risk of workplace violence. The process of minimizing risk for staff providing home visits is a challenge and has not been extensively studied. The authors describe the development and implementation of a risk assessment instrument in a regional health authority in Newfoundland. The instrument aids community workers to identify and manage potential workplace violence risks. The process and risk assessment instrument may be useful to other health care organizations interested in promoting workplace safety.
Brillhart, B., Kruse, B., & Heard, L. ( 2004). Safety concerns for rehabilitation nurses in home care . Rehabilitation Nursing, 29, 227-229.
2.
Burns, N., & Grove, S.K. ( 2001). The practice of nursing research: Conduct, critique, & utilization (4th ed.). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.
3.
Burns, T., Fiander, M., & Audini, B. ( 2000). A Delphi approach to characterizing "relapse" as used in UK clinical practice. International Journal of Social Psychiatry , 46, 220-230.
4.
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. ( 2007). Violence in the workplace. Retrieved June 18, 2008, from http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/violence.html
5.
Canadian Nurses Association. (2002). Position statement: Violence. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Author.
6.
Di Martino, V. ( 2002). Workplace violence in the health sector- Country case studies: Brazil, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Portugal, South Africa, Thailand, plus an additional Australian study (Synthesis Report). Geneva , Switzerland: World Health Organization. Retrieved July 5, 2005, from http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/activities/workplace/WVsynthesisreport.pdf
7.
Elliott, P.P. ( 1997). Violence in health care: What nurse managers need to know. Nursing Management, December, 38-41.
8.
Galloway, J. ( 2002). Personal safety when visiting patients in the community . Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 8, 214-222.
9.
Hasson, F., Keeney, S., & McKenna, H. ( 2000). Research guidelines for the Delphi survey technique. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 32, 1008-1015.
10.
Henry, O.E., & Henry, G.A. ( 1997). Developing a workplace violence program in the home health care setting. Home Health Care Management & Practice, 9, 14-21.
11.
Kinross, L. ( 1992). Nurse assault: Overcoming the barriers to prevention. The Nursing Report. Canadian Nursing Management (Supplement) , 49, 4-8.
12.
Leck, J.D. ( 2002, February/March). How violence is costing the Canadian workplace. Research Forum-HR Professional. Retrieved from http://communityaccounts.ca/communityaccounts/onlinedata/accountselectionpage.asp?p=%BD%BE%C4%9F%85%95%81%A4%B3%C8r
13.
Lundstrom, T., Pugliese, G., Bartley, J., Cox, J., & Guither, C. ( 2002). The impact of worker safety on patient outcomes. American Journal Infection Control, 30, 93-106.
14.
Mathews, M., & Lynch, A. ( 2007). Increasing evaluation skills in a rural health board: Application based learning. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation , 22, 41-56.
15.
Munson, C.E. ( 2002). Handbook of clinical social work supervision. New York: Haworth.
16.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. ( 2003). Guidelines for preventing workplace violence for health care and social service workers. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor.
17.
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2002). Mental illness and violence: Proof or stereotype. Retrieved June 17, 2008, from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/mh-sm/pubs/mental_illness/acknowl-eng.php
18.
Rippon, T.J. ( 2000). Aggression and violence in health care professions. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 31, 452-460.
19.
Statistics Canada. (2006). Retrieved August 15, 2008, from http://communityaccounts.ca
20.
Whitehorn, D., & Nowland, M. ( 1997). Towards an aggression-free health care environment. The Canadian Nurse, 93, 24-26.
21.
Workers Compensation Board of British Columbia. ( 2005). Preventing violence in health care: Five steps to an effective program. Richmond, British Columbia, Canada: Author.
