Assault and battery, which are serious problems in nursing homes, are criminal offenses. Assault could either be physical through bodily harm or verbal through threats to victims. Battery refers to a situation where an individual intentionally causes physical harm to someone else. In most cases, the two criminal offenses take place simultaneously if one threatens someone and then causes them bodily injury. Some examples of assault and battering in nursing homes include kicking, punching, slapping, emotional abuse, threatening, and inducing fear ("Assault and Battery - Nursing Home Abuse Guide,” 2019). Examples of signs include loss of hair, bruises, body cuts, wounds, depression or anxiety, broken bones, and torn or bloody clothes. One challenge that prevents people from reporting the issue is fear. However, there is a need to report any incidences of assault and battery in nursing homes to authorities, and the patients or victims immediately removed to prevent further harm.
In the United States healthcare sector, most assaults, ether physical or verbal, are directed towards providers by patients and visitors. A survey conducted in 2014 showed that aggravated assaults by patients accounted for 75% of hospital crimes and 93% of all assaults against healthcare workers (Phillips, 2016). Approximately 75% of all incidences of assault annually occur in healthcare settings (Phillips, 2016). One challenge making it difficult to address the felony offenses of violence is the inconsistency in the categorization of verbal or physical assault, threats, and battery. Assaults in the healthcare settings are more likely to occur against physicians, nurses, and in psychiatrist settings, with most of them being verbal (Phillips, 2016). The law states that assault and battery against a healthcare worker is a criminal offense that states should consider to protect vulnerable providers.
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References
Assault and Battery - Nursing Home Abuse Guide. (2019). Retrieved from
http://www.nursinghomeabuseguide.org/elder-abuse/assault-and-battery/
Phillips, J. P., (2016). Workplace violence against health care workers in the United States. New
England journal of medicine , 374 (17), 1661-1669. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/James_Phillips24/publication/301686568_Workplace_Violence_against_Health_Care_Workers_in_the_United_States/links/59e73509a6fdcc0e882d80db/Workplace-Violence-against-Health-Care-Workers-in-the-United-States.pdf
