When physicians and police work well together
Hospitals and law enforcement often have to work hand in glove. Many trauma centers and emergency departments have a police officer stationed on-site in response to injuries sustained in vehicular collisions, fights, or other instances where individuals are injured in a public setting. Police can be called in to the hospital when a patient or a family member grows violent. Law enforcement is also responsible for bringing in individuals seeking behavioral health/mental health assistance. A working relationship with law enforcement is key to the safety, efficacy, and well-being of everyone in the hospital: providers and patients.
Jim Kendig, MS, CHSP, CHCM, CHEM, LHRM, Joint Commission field director of surveyor management and development accreditation and certification operations, recounted in a blog post a night when two rival gangs had a shootout in the streets. Members of both gangs were injured and brought to the same emergency department, the one where Kendig worked.
“The staff was not aware of the event,” he wrote. “They had been busy with patient care and other duties. Both patients were moved from the trauma rooms to preop. One individual was ambulatory and the other was not, due to the extent of his injuries. A single nurse was providing care to both patients but often had to leave the area to prepare for the surgeries to follow, which is standard. Essentially, we had both victims of a rival gang altercation in the same area—side-by-side in preop.”
Thankfully, Kendig wrote, nothing happened that night. But since hospitals shouldn’t rely on luck to avert a catastrophe, he realized a change needed to be made.
“Following this incident, I met with local law enforcement officials to address notice to hospitals regarding gang shootings,” he wrote. “I was a member of the Brevard County Chiefs of Police and asked for their buy-in to address notice to the hospital or assurance that members of rival gangs would be transported to different hospitals. They immediately and whole-heartedly agreed, especially the police department that served the trauma center.”
Kendig was able to work out a deal where law enforcement would alert hospital security before sending over gang violence victims. After that, it would be the responsibility of the hospital to alert its providers and provide security when needed.
Source: News & Analysis