6 tips for strengthening workplace violence prevention in 2026 and beyond

Violence in health care continues to be a growing problem, with health care workers experiencing more workplace violence than any other private-sector profession, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A 2024 poll by the American College of Emergency Physicians found that 91% of emergency physicians indicated that they or a colleague had been threatened or attacked in the past year. Similarly, a 2022 Press Ganey analysis showed that two nurses are assaulted every hour.

Today, many incidents of violence go unreported, and near misses are rarely documented. Without these data, health care leaders struggle to effectively assess risks or develop strategies that prevent violence within their organizations. With these added to the list of other challenges health care systems endure — staffing shortages, high patient acuity and caregiver burnout — proactive violence prevention programs have become more urgent than ever.

Building a culture of safety

Heading into 2026, there are six steps health care organizations can take to cultivate a culture of safety that protects caregivers and patients and strengthens facility resilience:

Enforce zero-tolerance policies

This is one of the simplest steps an organization can take to create a safer workspace for its staff. But it’s crucial to remember that policies only work if they are clear and consistently enforced. Health care leadership should convey that violence, including verbal threats and physical assault, will not be tolerated within their facilities.

Foster cross-department collaboration

Workplace safety should be a shared goal across the entire health care organization. Cross-functional workplace violence prevention teams — including personnel from departments such as patient care, security, HR and communications — can provide different perspectives that enable stronger protocols and more comprehensive prevention strategies.

Conduct risk assessments and identify gaps

Ongoing evaluations of safety protocols, response times and staff perceptions are critical in health care organizations. Probing staff on how safe they feel, their ability to quickly summon help and their comfort level around incident reporting can uncover weaknesses in current safety plans and guide improvements. It’s essential that physicians and other clinicians provide honest feedback during these assessments to reveal blind spots.

Encourage incident reporting, even for near misses

Every violent or potentially violent incident in a health care organization should be reported. Consider, for example, a nurse finishing a night shift when a stranger begins to follow her in the parking lot. The encounter goes unreported because the nurse makes it safely to her car and the stranger changes course, but it could have gone differently had she not. This is a near-miss incident.

These minor threats have the ability to evolve into incidents that could be prevented. Health care leaders must remain vigilant about the risks their facilities face and encourage an environment where physicians and other clinicians feel empowered to speak up. However, a common misconception regarding near misses is that because no harm occurs, reports aren’t necessary.

The scenario above should have been reported immediately. Near misses are often indicators of potential dangers that could happen at any time. When they are overlooked, they prevent health care organizations from spotting patterns that allow them to put intervention strategies in place before a serious incident occurs.

Leverage technology to empower staff

Technology such as wearable duress buttons and visitor management systems can accelerate response times during an emergency and give staff peace of mind about who is on their campus. Involving health care workers in the selection and implementation of these tools can ensure better adoption and effectiveness. Technology can also help health care organizations generate data to track incidents, analyze safety-related trends and make informed decisions around safety protocols on an ongoing basis.

Recognize and support safety leaders

It’s important to recognize the efforts of health care leaders who are spearheading safety. Whether through internal communications, appreciation events or publicly celebrating achievements on social media, appreciated leaders can inspire engagement. Safety must be an ongoing priority in health care settings.

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond

Addressing workplace violence isn’t a onetime initiative — it requires ongoing attention, accountability, and investments in both people and technology. By adopting an approach that focuses on policy enforcement, collaboration, risk assessments and technology, health care organizations can create a safe, resilient and supportive environment for staff, patients and visitors.