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Workplace Violence Technology for Behavioral Health Facilities

Workplace violence in behavioral health facilities is a serious problem

Across the nation, frontline workers, especially those who work in behavioral health, are experiencing a rise in workplace violence. Psychiatric workers are 3.5 times more likely to encounter violent incidents than registered nurses, mainly due to the unpredictable nature of behavioral health patients.

Your staff deserves to feel safe

This is largely due to the nature of their work environment, where frontline workers are at risk of violence from patients or visitors. As per Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, safety and security are fundamental needs for all humans. If your staff doesn’t feel safe, it will adversely affect their interactions with patients, their productivity, and their overall mental well-being.

Traditional panic buttons aren't effective

You may think that pressing a panic button is the most effective way to get help, but people hesitate to use the panic button for a variety of reasons.
Panic alarm hesitation

The underutilization of panic buttons is due to many reasons, including fear of escalating the situation, uncertainty about the severity of the threat, a desire to handle the problem independently, and fear of potential consequences or embarrassment if it turns out to be a false alarm. Additionally, people don’t want to be seen as someone who unnecessarily overreacts and disrupts workflow.

They may not be accessible

In an emergency, wall-mounted panic buttons may not always be accessible. Factors such as the front-line worker being in close proximity to the patient, obstacles blocking access to the button, or the panic button being mounted in an impractical location can hinder the ability to reach the button during an attack.

They can add fuel to the fire

In some cases, the sounds, lights, or seeing someone press the panic button could escalate the emotions of an upset patient. The act of pressing a wall-mounted panic button may worsen situations rather than defuse them.

What you really need is a de-escalation button

A de-escalation button is a game changer because your people will feel comfortable using it at the first signs of aggression. That’s because the response to the de-escalation button will come locally from peers on their unit. If your facility uses BERT (behavioral emergency response team), the de-escalation button is a perfect way to summon those team members. When they use the button, a member of BERT can come to their location and help calm things down before the situation escalates into violence. Since people will press their button at the first signs of aggression, there will be plenty of time to stop a violent attack from happening. Instead of reacting to an attack, it will help your people prevent it from happening.

Why pinpoint is a game changer in behavioral health facilities

Good for your Patients

  • Avoidance of restraints 
  • Better staff-patient interaction
  • Reduces agitation and anxiety
  • Minimization of trauma

Good for your Staff

  • Protects them from strangulation (ligature-resistant hardware and triple breakaway lanyards)
  • Allows staff to summon their BERT
  • Optional q15 function can be added to the system for patient safety checks
  • Preservation of staff mental health
  • More efficient documentation
  • Improves morale

Good for your Bottom Line

  • Reduces turnover
  • Enhanced productivity
  • Reduced absenteeism

Logging, reporting & analytics

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Utilization reports

Compliant with Joint Commission & OSHA Guidelines

Reportable incident documentation