Workplace violence Enough already - Special Focus: Professional Development + Education - Hospital News

 
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Workplace violence Enough already - Special Focus: Professional Development + Education - Hospital News
Special Focus: Professional Development + Education
        Inside: From the CEO’s Desk | Evidence Matters | Safe Medication | Long-term Care

www.hospitalnews.com                                                          January 2022 Edition

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 Enough already
 Workplace violence
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Workplace violence Enough already - Special Focus: Professional Development + Education - Hospital News
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Workplace violence Enough already - Special Focus: Professional Development + Education - Hospital News
Contents
                                                                                                                            January 2022 Edition

                                                                                                                          IN THIS ISSUE:
                                                          THE 20TH ANNUAL SUPPLEMENT
                                                                                                                    William Osler
                                                                                                                   Health System
                                                                                                               goes beyond for its
                                                                  Development                                             people
                                                                  + Education
                                                                                                                                6
                                           www.hospitalnews.com                JANUARY 2022 HOSPITAL NEWS 17

▲ Cover story:                                 ▲ Special Focus:
  Enough already:                                Professional
  Workplace                                      Development
  violence                                       + Education

    8                                                                     17
                                                                                                                     ▲ Cultivating         ▲ A shortcut to
COLUMNS                                                                                                          culture at Halton       immunity: Saving
                                                                                                                       Healthcare     lives through early-
Editor’s Note ....................4
                                                                                                                                          stage COVID-19
In brief ..............................6
                                                                                                                          38                    treatment
From the CEO’s desk .....14
Safe medication ............16                                                                                                                       5
Evidence matters ...........36
Long Term care ..............37                     ▲ Emergency                                                A creative
                                               department tackles                                              reprieve
                                           workplace violence with                                             for healthcare
                                              two new safety tools                                             workers

                                                                              12 20
Workplace violence Enough already - Special Focus: Professional Development + Education - Hospital News
The trouble with ‘resiliency’                                                                                                      610 Applewood Crescent, Suite 401
                                                                                                                                        Vaughan Ontario L4K 0E3
                                                                                                                                 TEL. 905.532.2600|FAX 1.888.546.6189

         It’s time to get to the root causes of                                                                                         www.hospitalnews.com

               healthcare worker burnout
                                                                                                                                                    Editor
                                                                                                                                            Kristie Jones
                                                                                                                                         editor@hospitalnews.com

By Irving Gold                                                                                                                      Advertising Representatives
                                                                                                                                         Denise Hodgson
             ver the last several years, there has been an        But these are just band-aid solutions.                                 denise@hospitalnews.com

 O           increasing recognition that burnout is ris-
             ing exponentially among healthcare work-
             ers – and there has been a positive shift in
                                                                  Resiliency toolkits and online resources do nothing to
                                                               address the actual causes of healthcare worker burnout
                                                               and mental health distress. The root causes are policy-
                                                                                                                                                  Publisher
                                                                                                                                          Stefan Dreesen
                                                                                                                                         stefan@hospitalnews.com
the public understanding of burnout and other mental           and system-wide and not related to the shortcomings of                     Accounting Inquiries
health issues in general. Unfortunately, the policy re-        healthcare workers themselves.                                 accountingteam@mediaclassified.ca
sponse from governments, healthcare institutions and              Among those I represent, Canada’s medical radiation                     Circulation Inquiries
policy-makers has been woefully inadequate.                    technologists who administer radiation therapy to can-                   info@hospitalnews.com
    Instead of addressing the root causes of burnout and       cer patients, and do the X-rays, nuclear medicine, MRIs,                 Director of Print Media
mental distress among our healthcare workers, both be-         and CT scans that allow doctors to diagnose and provide                     Lauren Reid-Sachs
fore and as a result of COVID-19, what has been their          medical treatment, burnout is rampant.                                  Senior Graphic Designer
response? A proliferation of toolkits and do-it-yourself re-      Promoting personal resiliancy is not a solution for in-                  Johannah Lorenzo
sources developed and directed at healthcare workers that      adequate staffing, unreasonable workload expectations,
focus on helping them build their own personal resiliency.     or insufficient leave. These are the issues that need to be
    On the surface, providing resources to healthcare          addressed, and only governments, employers and leaders                  ADVISORY BOARD
workers to maintain or improve their mental health             in the health sector can do it.                                                  Barb Mildon,
seems like a laudable goal. Who could argue against de-           Healthcare decision-makers at the federal, provin-                           RN, PHD, CHE
                                                                                                                                VP Professional Practice & Research & CNE,
livering these resources to a group that is suffering? But     cial and institutional levels need to take this issue on       Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
it’s the wrong approach at the wrong time, and carries         in earnest. Those with power and access to the levers                            Helen Reilly,
negative consequences.                                         of change must stop hiding behind issues of jurisdiction                            Publicist
    Framing the issue of burnout as a lack of resilience is    and their singular focus on cost as justifications for in-                Health-Care Communications
a classic example of victim-blaming. It places the caus-       action.                                                                          Jane Adams,
                                                                                                                                                 President
es, effects and solutions to the problem squarely in the          The pandemic has shown us that when governments                  Brainstorm Communications & Creations
hands of those suffering from it.                              face a national crisis, they can collaborate and surmount
                                                                                                                                             Bobbi Greenberg,
    Let me be clear; there is absolutely nothing wrong         enormous challenges. Canada is emerging from the pan-                     Health care communications
with providing resiliency training or resources that focus     demic injured, but compared to other countries, we have                   Sarah Quadri Magnotta,
on things like mindfulness, yoga, meditation, breathing        fared fairly well. This is due, in large part, to the people              Health care communications
exercises, visualization and the plethora of other solu-       that are the essence of our healthcare systems.                                 Dr. Cory Ross,
tions on offer. They can all be useful tools for addressing       If we continue to turn the car radio up to drown out             B.A., MS.C., DC, CSM (OXON), MBA, CHE
the crisis, and I am sure, many healthcare workers use         the sound of a malfunctioning engine, we will ultimately                   Vice President, Academic
                                                                                                                                     George Brown College, Toronto, ON
and appreciate them.                                           pay the price.
                                                                                                   Continued on page 6                      ASSOCIATE PARTNERS:

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4 HOSPITAL NEWS JANUARY 2022                                                                                                                          www.hospitalnews.com
Workplace violence Enough already - Special Focus: Professional Development + Education - Hospital News
EVIDENCE MATTERS                                                                                      The MAB Clinic
                                                                                                       team members.

  MAB therapy vials.

A shortcut to immunity:
Saving lives through early-stage COVID-19 treatment
By Arden Bagni-Fast                            UNVACCINATED INDIVIDUALS
                                                                                                                                    try, surgeries are being delayed and
                                                                                                                                    healthcare workers are experiencing
             hat images come to mind           ARE BURDENING OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM,                                                 burnout. But Dr. Chagla sees this clin-

W            when you think about
             treating patients with
             COVID-19? Likely pa-
tients on ventilators, family members
                                               AND OTHER PATIENTS WHO NEED OUR
                                               HOSPITALS’ RESOURCES AREN’T ABLE TO
                                               ACCESS THEM
                                                                                                                                    ic as the start of a solution.
                                                                                                                                       “We can save lives, and not just the
                                                                                                                                    patients who come into the clinic, but
                                                                                                                                    those who come to the hospital with
separated from loved ones, over-                                                                                                    other life-threatening circumstances.
whelmed staff and overrun hospitals.                                                                                                We are keeping those beds and re-
It’s a disheartening picture, but what      to immunity” that clears the virus and    The therapy has been approved by the          sources available,” says Dr. Chagla. “It’s
if we could avoid those experiences         prevents us from getting sick.            World Health Organization and the             especially important now, as we enter
altogether by treating patients early in       Those who are vaccinated already       Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory             one of the busiest times for hospitals
their disease progression? Good news:       have COVID-19 antibodies stored, so       Table.                                        (winter). If we can avoid being at criti-
Healthcare providers at St. Joseph’s        the therapy would be ineffective. But        For now, Canada has access to this         cal capacity, that’s a win for everyone.”
Healthcare Hamilton are doing just          patients who have not been vaccinat-      therapy delivered through a 30-minute
that in a new pilot program.                ed, or whose bodies did not respond       intravenous infusion, but Dr. Chagla          WEIGHING SAFETY
   Dr. Zain Chagla, St. Joe’s Co-Med-       appropriately to vaccinations, have       anticipates more products for early           AND DUTY TO PATIENTS
ical Director of Infection Control, is      not built up these antibodies, leaving    treatment of COVID-19 will be avail-             Initial feedback about the clinic has
leading a team that offers treatment for    them vulnerable.                          able in the future, including those that      been overwhelmingly positive. It has
patients with early-stage COVID-19.            “There are people who cannot cre-      are available by intramuscular injec-         also raised important considerations
It’s Ontario’s first dedicated clinic of-   ate these antibodies,” says Dr. Chagla.   tion or oral capsules.                        about allocating resources to unvacci-
fering monoclonal antibody (MAB)            “Not just those who are unvaccinated,                                                   nated patients during a pandemic.
therapy, and will help determine the        but vaccinated individuals who are        NO SUBSTITUTE                                    “First and foremost, healthcare pro-
feasibility of such a treatment center      immune-compromised. They are most         FOR VACCINES                                  viders have a duty to treat patients,”
in other locations across the country.      likely to be hospitalized with serious       Dr. Chagla stresses that getting vac-      says Dr. Chagla. “Leaving your bias
                                            complications, but now we can give        cinated is still the best line of defense.    at the door – whether you’re treat-
JUMPSTART THE                               them synthetic antibodies to jumpstart    However, we have seen unprecedent-            ing someone who is vaccine-hesitant
HEALING PROCESS                             the healing process.”                     ed levels of misinformation about the         or not – is important. We do this in
   Antibody treatment isn’t new:               MAB therapy can save these pa-         COVID vaccine, and various popula-            other forms of infectious disease. If
We’ve used it for decades to treat pa-      tients’ lives and keep unvaccinated,      tions are skeptical of drastic govern-        someone with HIV didn’t take the pre-
tients at risk of rabies after being bit-   COVID-positive patients out of hospi-     ment-mandated health policies due to          ventive measures available to them,
ten by a rabid animal. In the case of       tals. This allows our strained systems    historical mistreatment. Unvaccinated         we wouldn’t deny them care. We are
MAB, antibodies latch onto COVID            to direct resources to other patients     individuals are burdening our health-         here to help patients and use the ev-
spike proteins, preventing the virus        who need them. Initial studies show       care system, and other patients who           idence-based tools accessible to care
from invading healthy cells. And they       a 71 per cent reduction in hospitaliza-   need our hospitals’ resources aren’t          for them the best way we can. And in
work fast, giving our body a “shortcut      tions and a 70% reduction in death.       able to access them: Across the coun-         this case, we are saving lives.” ■
                                                                                                                                                                     H

Arden Bagni-Fast is a Public Affairs Specialist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.t

www.hospitalnews.com                                                                                                               JANUARY 2022 HOSPITAL NEWS 5
Workplace violence Enough already - Special Focus: Professional Development + Education - Hospital News
IN BRIEF

William Osler Health System
goes beyond for its people
                                                                                       tinued demands of the COVID-19 pan-          silient teams, Schwartz Rounds are a
By Catalina Guran                                                                      demic can leave staff feeling tired and      live, one-hour, interdisciplinary forum
            he last two years have tak-                                                Osler’s respite initiatives, play a vital    that aim to create open, honest and

  T         en a toll on the health care
            system and, most of all,
            on its people. Although
                                                                                       role in helping staff stay Osler Strong.
                                                                                          “It’s not so much what we’re giving
                                                                                       them,” explains Kiran Patel, Clinical
                                                                                       Services Manager, Cardiac Diagnostics
                                                                                                                                    safe space where participants can can-
                                                                                                                                    didly share their ideas, thoughts and
                                                                                                                                    feelings.
                                                                                                                                        Due to the nature of their work,
health care workers are experienced
and trained to be resilient, commit-                                                   and Cardiac Rehab at Osler. “It’s that       health care professionals often carry
ted to their patients and dedicated                                                    special moment to just say, ‘I’m think-      stress and emotional trauma, and the
to their profession, the COVID-19                                                      ing about you. I know today’s a really       pandemic has compounded this. Osler
pandemic has been challenging for                                                      busy day and you probably haven’t had        team members who attend Schwartz
everyone. Thankfully, ‘health care                                                     a chance to get to the respite room, so      Rounds gain greater insight into their
heroes’ continue to be there every                                                     we’re going to bring it to you.’ It’s just   feelings, grow their capacity for com-
day to care for their patients, and it’s                                               knowing that they can pause for that         passionate care, and increase empathy
often the little things that keep them                                                 moment to think about themselves.”           for individuals, patients, and their col-
going. That is why, in early 2021,                                                                                                  leagues. Osler plans to hold Schwartz
William Osler Health System (Osler)                                                    SUPPORTING MENTAL                            Rounds four times a year.
implemented a Respite and Well-be-                                                     HEALTH WITH                                      In line with its commitment to cre-
ing Program designed to offer a wide                                                   SCHWARTZ ROUNDS                              ate resilient, empathetic teams and
array of services and supports for                                                        Recently, Osler also implemented          create a safe and healthy workplace
Osler teams, as they continue work-        staff can go for beverages, treats, well-   a new health and wellness initiative         environment, Osler leverages these
ing around the clock to provide ex-        ness resources, or for some quiet time.     called Schwartz Rounds. One of the           many resources to provide emotional,
ceptional care to the community.           Managers can also sign out Compas-          many ways Osler can put into practice        physical and social support. Osler is
   From outdoor yoga classes, mind-        sion Carts packed with snacks and           its Values of Compassion and Excel-          proud to support its health care heroes
fulness moments, and Employee Fam-         drinks for short shifts to bring around     lence and help build healthy and re-         always, to stay Osler Strong. ■H

ily Assistance Counselling, to Respite     to their teams. It’s small actions, like
Rooms, ‘Compassion Carts’, virtual
choirs and seated relaxation chair
                                           this, that have a big impact on teams.
                                           Staff at all levels are appreciative of     Trans people accessing acute
massages, Osler provides time and
space for staff to momentarily escape
                                           the offerings but, Compassion Carts
                                           are the most popular element of Os-         mental health care more likely to
some of the pressures.
   There is a dedicated Respite Room
                                           ler’s Respite and Well-being Program.
                                              Staying hydrated and healthy isn’t       experience marginalization
at each of Osler’s three sites where       always easy during busy shifts. The con-                 ransgender       individuals    disorders and suicidality, not because

Continued from page 4                                                                    T          who access acute mental
                                                                                                    health care are more likely
                                                                                                    to experience marginal-
                                                                                                                                    of their identity, but rather as a result
                                                                                                                                    of their experiences with discrimina-
                                                                                                                                    tion, oppression and marginalization,”
The trouble with ‘resiliency’                                                          ization, present with mood disorders
                                                                                       and are twice more likely to be diag-
                                                                                                                                    said lead author Dr. June Lam, a Staff
                                                                                                                                    Psychiatrist at CAMH. “This study
   If we don’t treat our healthcare        contrary, we have barely begun the          nosed with personality disorders than        provides further data to support this
workers as a precious commodity we         diagnostic process.                         the general population accessing these       theory by looking at the experienc-
need to vigorously protect, we will be        Healthcare workers need and deserve      services.                                    es of trans individuals who required
in trouble.                                much more than we are doing. We owe            This according to a Centre for            a mental health-related Emergency
   We have weathered this pandemic         them a true commitment to protect           Addiction and Mental health –                Department visit or hospitalization.
in relatively good shape. If we contin-    their health and welfare, just as they      (CAMH-) led study, “Characteristics          Ultimately, the findings show an as-
ue along the path we are on, we may        have committed themselves to ours.          of Transgender Individuals Accessing         sociation between trans people who
not fare as well in the face of the next      We have an obligation to address         Emergency Department Visits and              accessed acute mental health care and
health emergency. And, we will have        the systemic issues eroding the morale,     Hospitalizations for Mental Health,”         their experience with socioeconomic
no one to blame but ourselves.             physical and mental health, and spirit      newly published in the journal Psychi-       marginalization.”
   The situation we find ourselves in      of our healthcare workforce.                atric Services. The study is the first to       The data collected for this study
is curable; it does not require a pal-        Our goal must go beyond helping          use administrative health data to ex-        came from 728 transgender individuals
liative approach. We have not ex-          healthcare workers to survive. They         plore how transgender patients access        who visited the Emergency Depart-
hausted all of our options. Quite the      deserve to thrive. ■
                                                              H                        mental healthcare services.                  ment and 454 transgender individuals
                                                                                          “It’s been theorized that trans people    hospitalized for mental health-related
Irving Gold is the Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Association of              experience a disproportionately higher       reasons, and who were aged 16 and
Medical Radiation Technologists.                                                       rate of mental illnesses, substance use      above. The data originated from four

6 HOSPITAL NEWS JANUARY 2022                                                                                                                        www.hospitalnews.com
Workplace violence Enough already - Special Focus: Professional Development + Education - Hospital News
IN BRIEF

New guideline:
Equitable COVID-19 pandemic recovery in Canada
             rom income to housing          direct harms of COVID-19 abate, but

  F          to addressing racism and
             more, a new guideline pro-
             poses 13 ways to address
                                            their recommendations may need to
                                            be in place for months, years or as per-
                                            manent solutions.
inequities exposed and worsened by             Thirteen recommendations to ad-
COVID-19 in the pandemic recovery           dress health inequities:
period. The guidance is published in
CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association          INCOME
Journal).                                   • Ensure a living income
   If not addressed, these inequities       • Universal unemployment insurance,
will continue to threaten the health of       parental leave and paid sick leave
many Canadians.                             • Affordable loans
   “Coordinated pandemic responses
include efforts to return life to ‘nor-     HOUSING
mal’ after the immediate threat, but        • Expand permanent supportive hous-
the COVID-19 pandemic has under-              ing programs
scored the need to address inequities       • Expand access to eviction prevention,
rather than resume the unfair status          legal services and financial advice
quo,” writes Dr. Nav Persaud, a fam-
ily physician at St. Michael’s Hospital,    INTIMATE PARTNER
Unity Health Toronto, scientist and         VIOLENCE
Canada Research Chair in Health Jus-        • Legal advocacy and supportive in-
tice at MAP Centre for Urban Health           terventions for victims
Solutions, and associate professor,
University of Toronto, with coauthors.      CHILDHOOD
   The authors define the pandemic          • Expand publicly funded childcare
recovery period as the stage when the       • Healthy food distribution to children

outpatient health clinics in three cities   gender people virtually invisible in
(Thunder Bay, Ottawa and Toronto)           the healthcare system. We were only
across Ontario. All four clinics have       able to identify transgender individ-
expertise in working with transgender       uals through looking at data where
individuals and regularly collect data      physicians or a health clinic asked
on self-defined gender identity. Re-        their patients how they identify. This     ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE                          “The pandemic recovery period
                                                                                       • Expand access to opioid substitution      represents an opportunity to address
searchers used Health administrative        research makes a strong case for the
                                                                                         therapy and supervised injection sites    health inequities that have led to an
data held at ICES, an independent,          need to identify transgender people
                                                                                       • Expand HIV and HCV screening for          unfair distribution of the burden and
non-profit research institute, to conduct   in the healthcare system. By creating
                                                                                         people at high risk                       harms of COVID-19. Policy changes at
this study. For each transgender sample,    more transgender-inclusive systems
                                                                                       • Include prescription medicines in         the federal, provincial and municipal
the researchers created two comparison      and data collection practices, we can
                                                                                         Canada’s publicly funded health           levels that promote health equity had
groups to understand the ways in which      integrate inclusive response options to
                                                                                         care system                               been studied before this pandemic, and
the transgender population differs from     better understand the experience and
                                                                                       • Improve health care for people who        they should be implemented before the
the general population of those who ac-     health of transgender individuals.”
                                                                                         are incarcerated                          next one,” the authors conclude.
cess acute care in Ontario.                    This study concludes that care pro-
                                                                                                                                      “It is the societal and structural prob-
   One limitation to the study, accord-     viders can greatly improve the health-
ing to the authors, was that transgen-      care services that transgender people      RACISM                                      lems that abetted the spread of SARS-
                                                                                       • Action on previous recommenda-            CoV-2 – not the pandemic’s economic
der individuals identified were from        receive through examining the unique
                                                                                         tions to address anti-Indigenous dis-     effects – that have made COVID-19
clinics in larger cities in Ontario,        needs and challenges of this popula-
                                                                                         crimination and anti-Black racism         such a devastating crisis. COVID-19
which may not be representative of          tion, ensuring the representation of
                                                                                          Addressing racism is particularly        has taught us about the dangers of weak-
the experiences of individuals living in    trans people through inclusive intake
                                                                                       important, as racialized people were        nesses in the fabric of society. Canada’s
smaller cities and rural areas.             response options, and closing the gaps
                                                                                       disproportionately affected during the      policy-makers would do well to follow
   Study co-author Dr. Alex Abramov-        that exist for trans people who access
                                                                                       pandemic, with higher rates of SARS-        Persaud and colleagues’ suggestion that
ich, an Independent Scientist with the      care. It also calls for additional re-
                                                                                       CoV-2 infections and deaths.                postpandemic policy-making centre
Institute for Mental Health Policy          search into experiences of transgender
                                                                                          With heightened awareness of in-         equity to ensure that all Canadians can
Research (IMHPR), said: “Typically,         individuals presenting for acute men-
                                                                                       equities and a commitment from the          benefit, and to protect against looming
when viewing administrative health          tal healthcare, particularly around the
                                                                                       federal government to reduce pover-         future threats,” writes Dr. Kirsten Pat-
data, patients are only classified as       role that marginalization and discrimi-
                                                                                       ty by 50% by 2030, the time to act is       rick, interim editor-in-chief, CMAJ, in
male or female. This makes trans-           nation may play. ■ H
                                                                                       now.                                        a related editorial. ■ H

www.hospitalnews.com                                                                                                              JANUARY 2022 HOSPITAL NEWS 7
Workplace violence Enough already - Special Focus: Professional Development + Education - Hospital News
COVER

Enough already:
Workplace violence
By Henrietta Van hulle                                                                                                          conducted by the Canadian Union of
                                                                                                                                Public Employees (CUPE) and SEIU
             he risk of violence is                                                                                             Healthcare found that 66 per cent of

  T          nothing new to Canada’s
             healthcare workers.
                In my 17 years as a
frontline nurse, I was hit, pinched,
                                                                                                                                the more than 2,600 respondents said
                                                                                                                                violence toward them or their cowork-
                                                                                                                                ers from patients or patients’ family
                                                                                                                                members has increased in the last 18
scratched and verbally abused. Thank-                                                                                           months. Hostility stemming from the
fully these incidents never resulted in                                                                                         pandemic is making an already stress-
serious injury. But I know I was one of                                                                                         ful job that much more difficult. In the
the lucky ones.                                                                                                                 same poll, 87 per cent of RPNs said
   Throughout Canada’s health care                                                                                              they have considered leaving their jobs.
sector, violent incidents and acts of                                                                                              If these behaviours are allowed to
aggression continue to escalate in                                                                                              continue or worsen, the work environ-
both frequency and severity. Health-                                                                                            ment and quality of care is certain to
care workers describe violent events                                                                                            suffer. As feelings of anxiety and vul-
as daily occurrences, some so serious                                                                                           nerability deepen, workers may disen-
that they result in a range of physical                                                                                         gage, become less productive and feel
or psychological issues, from chronic                                                                                           less committed to their work, regard-
mental stress to anxiety, depression or                                                                                         less of whether they are the target of
post-traumatic stress disorder.                                                                                                 the abuse. Failure to address inappro-
   According to Ontario’s Workplace                                                                                             priate and unacceptable behaviours
Safety and Insurance Board, assaults,                                                                                           has financial consequences, too.
violent acts and harassment in the                                                                                              Workplaces can experience increases
province’s healthcare sector have                                                                                               in lost-time from work, workers com-
steadily increased over the past sev-                                                                                           pensation costs or health and medical
eral years, nearly doubling from 2012                                                                                           expenses. Employers may also face
to 2019. Workplace violence was the                                                                                             charges, lawsuits or other legal action
cause of 14 per cent of all lost-time in-                                                                                       as a result of inaction and failure to
juries in 2019 in the healthcare sector                                                                                         protect workers.
– more than the injury claims allowed                                                                                              Every worker should expect a safe
for exposures to harmful substanc-                                                                                              and healthy work environment; vi-
es or environments. In 2020, while                                                                                              olence should never be tolerated as
COVID-19 exposures accounted for                                                                                                part of the job. Hospital employers
the majority of lost-time injuries in
Ontario’s healthcare sector, workplace
                                               SURGE IN WORKPLACE VIOLENCE THE LAST                                             and management have a duty to pro-
                                                                                                                                tect employee health and safety and
violence remained among the top five           STRAW FOR CANADA’S PANDEMIC-WEARY                                                address unsafe working conditions,
injury types, with 993 cases.                  HEALTHCARE WORKERS                                                               including includes taking action to
   As alarming as these figures are, it’s                                                                                       prevent violent acts and threats of vio-
only the tip of the iceberg. The reali-                                                                                         lence. Ontario’s Occupational Health
ty is likely more shocking as incidents     mental health resources, overcrowding     the inability to say goodbye or carry     and Safety Act (OHSA) requires em-
of violence and aggression have been        and wait times, and staffing shortages,   out funerals or other rituals as they’d   ployers to assess the risks of workplace
found to be severely underreported.         just to name a few. Now, we add pan-      like. Hospital workers are dealing with   violence and implement a policy and
Research indicates that this is most of-    demic-related tensions to the list.       confrontations related to the enforce-    prevention program. Here are just a
ten associated with the normalization          Perhaps unsurprisingly, COVID-19       ment of public health measures. Out       few examples of recommended pro-
of violence among healthcare workers,       has exacerbated the situation. The        in the community, healthcare work-        gram elements.
and is attributed to the belief that vi-    pandemic has created an emotion-          ers have been stigmatized, harassed,
olence is simply “part of the job”. Red     ally-charged environment ripe for         threatened or assaulted for fear of       CONDUCT REGULAR
tape, blame, lack of response from          aggression and violence, both in the      spreading the virus.                      WORKPLACE VIOLENCE
management and fear of reprisal are         hospital setting and out in the com-         Recent polling shows verbal, phys-     RISK ASSESSMENTS
among other reasons.                        munity. Some patients are prompted        ical, sexual and racially directed vio-      In Ontario, the OHSA states that
   The rise in incidents can be attribut-   to commit aggressive acts out of fear     lence against healthcare staff surging    employers must assess and control
ed to an aging population, increasing       for their health. Family members are      during the pandemic. A large provin-      risks of workplace violence arising
rates of dementia, a lack of access to      responding to the loss of relatives,      cial survey of hospital-based RPNs        from the nature of the workplace,

8 HOSPITAL NEWS JANUARY 2022                                                                                                                   www.hospitalnews.com
Workplace violence Enough already - Special Focus: Professional Development + Education - Hospital News
COVER

type of work and conditions of work.       spond to workplace violence. Health-
Workplace violence risk assessments        care organizations are also encouraged
enable the healthcare organization         to establish effective Personal Safety
to identify risks and prioritize action.   Response Systems that can effectively
This needs to be done as often as nec-     summon immediate assistance for im-
essary to ensure that organizational       pending workplace violence situations
policies and programs continue to          or incidents in progress. Recent protests
protect workers. For these reasons, a      at healthcare settings would indicate a
workplace violence risk assessment         review of current security practices.
should be completed at least annually,
though each organization should have       COMMUNICATE
its own processes for determining how      THE WORK REFUSAL
often to complete an assessment, and       PROCESS
when to evaluate the effectiveness            Workers in Ontario have the legal
of the process. In light of the recent     right to refuse work or refuse to do
intimidation healthcare workers are        particular work that they believe en-
facing just by going to work, this new     dangers them, including situations of
risk should be assessed to ensure the      workplace violence. This legal right
workplace measures and procedures          ensures that workers have a voice in
address this new threat.                   situations of real or perceived dan-
                                           ger. Employers, supervisors and Joint
ENABLE A RISK                              Health and Safety Committees (JHSC)
COMMUNICATION                              need to define and support their orga-
OR FLAGGING-ALERT                          nizational response to work refusals for
PROGRAM                                    reasons of workplace violence. Work-
   Employers in Ontario are required       ers must also understand their right to
to provide all workers at risk with in-    refuse unsafe work as well as any relat-
formation (including personal infor-       ed processes.
mation) about a person with a histo-          Of course, these are only a few of
ry or risk of violence. Workplaces, in     the actions hospital management and
turn, must adopt effective prevention      human resources departments can de-
strategies. One such strategy is a flag-   velop, implement and manage to con-
ging-alert program to communicate          trol the risk of violence and prevent
violence-related risks to healthcare       violent incidents. When developing
teams. By taking this kind of proactive    a fulsome workplace violence preven-
approach to managing violent, aggres-      tion program, hospitals are encouraged
sive and responsive behaviours, hos-       to build off established leading practic-
pitals can reduce the risk of harm to      es for workplace violence prevention
workers while providing patients with      in healthcare.
the best possible care.                       An example comes from Public
                                           Services Health & Safety Association
ESTABLISH EMERGENCY                        (PSHSA), an Ontario-based non-prof-
RESPONSE PROCEDURES                        it organization funded by the Ministry
   Ontario’s OHSA requires employ-         of Labour, Training and Skills De-
ers to develop and implement mea-          velopment to reduce workplace risks
sures and procedures for workers to        and prevent occupational injury and
summon immediate assistance when           illness across the province’s public
workplace violence occurs or is likely     and broader public sector. PSHSA has
to occur. One important measure is a       released eight workplace violence pre-
formal emergency response procedure        vention toolkits specifically designed
to workplace violence, also known as       for healthcare organizations to address
Code White. Code White is used in          the largest gaps in workplace violence
many healthcare settings to alert work-    prevention programs. Applicable to
ers to a real or perceived threat of vi-   healthcare organizations of any size,
olence, which includes aggressive or       the toolkits contain practical tools
responsive behaviours. Formal Code         and resources for each of the afore-
White procedures also ensure there         mentioned areas – risk assessment,
is standardization and consistency in      flagging, emergency response, work
the response to workplace violence.        refusals – and more to help healthcare
Everyone in the workplace needs to         organizations control the risk of work-
be trained in the emergency response       place violence and protect workers.
procedures and understand how to re-                        Continued on page 13

www.hospitalnews.com                                                                   JANUARY 2022 HOSPITAL NEWS 9
Workplace violence Enough already - Special Focus: Professional Development + Education - Hospital News
NEWS

Keeping staff safe and
secure for years to come
By Paul Baratta                                IF THERE’S A NEED FOR MORE ADVANCED
                                                                                                                                   which staff respond to patients. Some
                                                                                                                                   mental health wards in the UK have
              n recent years, there has        SECURITY REQUIREMENTS, FACILITIES CAN                                               experienced a 28 percent reduction in

   I          been an increase in the
              workplace violence rate
              in hospitals. Canada, the
United States, and Australia have said
                                               CONSIDER A MORE ROBUST SOLUTION THAT
                                               ENCOMPASSES AN ARRAY OF TECHNOLOGIES
                                               NOT SOLELY SURVEILLANCE OR SECURITY
                                                                                                                                   workplace violence due to implement-
                                                                                                                                   ing body worn video solutions.
                                                                                                                                      Nowadays, more people are brought
                                                                                                                                   to emergency rooms by law enforce-
that workplace violence is a pandem-           RELATED.                                                                            ment. They are evaluated for mental
ic of itself in healthcare, where clini-                                                                                           health reasons, and hospital security
cians, security and nursing are dealing                                                                                            directors and clinical staff are report-
with physical and verbal attacks more       reducing the number of shared access       care centres better protect against         ing incidents of hostile behavioural
than ever before.                           points. It can also be paired with a       unauthorized access, drug diversion,        events and an increase in physical and
   It’s, of course, no surprise with the    third-party system to automatically        and protection of PPE and sensitive         medical restraints. With body worn
current pandemic healthcare crisis,         open and shut doors – further remov-       patient files.                              solutions, staff have reported a de-
talent shortages, protesting and over-      ing the need to touch any surface,            Within hospitals and urgent care         crease in events, restraints, and other
all, an environment of heightened           such as a door handle.                     facilities, there are numerous locations    intervention due to both security and
aggression. Hospitals and urgent care          The type of access control solu-        that need to be well-secured. For ex-       clinical staff announcing they are re-
personnel are working around the            tion required, depends on a hospital’s     ample, restricted units with immune         cording the event. The warning to
clock treating COVID-19, managing           needs. For small, basic installations,     compromised patients, surgical units,       people that they are being recorded,
patient backlog and soon, we will be        low touch access control that utilizes     or quarantined areas. An access con-        reduces the incidence of violence, and
amid that predicted autumn/winter           a QR code could do the work. It cre-       trol system helps by ensuring only au-      provides for documentation in case of
surge with a looming flu season not         ates a credential with validity date       thorized personnel enter these zones.       the need for persecution.
far off.                                    and time. In this case, the employee       If operations are looking to safeguard         Other use cases for wearables in
   As a result of this increased volatile   receives the QR code, and from there,      these quarters and mitigate the spread      healthcare include documenting the
atmosphere, hospitals and urgent care       the network door controller receives       of infection, something like low touch      movement of patients from hospital
centres have been looking into mod-         their information and recognizes them.     access control is ideal.                    beds to specialized departments, such
ern technologies and asking how such        When they use the QR code, the sys-           Outside of a hospital setting, you       as for x-rays, and in behavioural health
can help provide quality care while         tem grants them access. Facilities can     can potentially have control over the       wards to document staff interaction
minimizing in-person visits to decrease     use a similar setup with RFID.             system wherever you are with remote         with patients and their guests. Clinical
the possibility of exposure. Further-          If there’s a need for more advanced     monitoring and communication. From          staff may consider using these devices
more, there are questions on it that        security requirements, facilities can      any location, you can remotely open a       to document surgeries, facilitate train-
can be used to help better protect PPE      consider a more robust solution that       door or speak to the person via your        ing purposes, and in simulation rooms
equipment in temporary facilities, and      encompasses an array of technologies       smartphone. A forced or propped             with student residence.
provide additional safety, health, and      not solely surveillance or security re-    open door can automatically trigger an
security protection for staff and even      lated. Such a system, takes advantage      alarm – this could improve business ef-     PRIVACY SHOULD BE
patients.                                   of the latest analytics and integrates
                                            seamlessly with other systems, such as
                                                                                       ficiencies as it reduces false alarms and
                                                                                       makes managing staff easier.
                                                                                                                                   AT THE FOREFRONT
   As we are witnessing, the impact                                                                                                   One common theme to consider,
of COVID-19 is not short-term. It’s         intrusion detection, HVAC unit, HR                                                     and this applies to all surveillance
driving the need for facilities to put      systems, etc. Depending on the sys-        THE ROLE OF                                 solutions in hospitals and urgent care
into place long-term practices and          tem, the network intercom or video         WEARABLE SOLUTIONS                          facilities, is around patient and visitor
adopt new technologies. Technologies        door station, for example, could even         Wearable solutions have demon-           privacy.
that improve hospital and urgent care       play a pre-recorded announcement for       strated they can decrease violent              Camera devices seem to be a con-
management today, but also address          the visitor to wear a mask before enter-   events in healthcare facilities. These      cern regarding the expectation of
requirements for tomorrow.                  ing the building.                          devices have been employed in some          privacy of patients, staff, and visitors
                                               Hospitals can screen employees, vis-    healthcare facilities with audio solu-      given the sensitivities of the health-
ACCESS CONTROL                              itors, and vendors upon entry by using     tions, by security and clinical staff to    care environment and the legal and
ACTS AS A FORCE                             a cross-line detection application, net-   document events and situations.             regulatory circumstances they require.
MULTIPLIER AND PUTS                         work surveillance camera, and a net-          If hospitals are looking to decrease        A set of standards have been put
SECURITY IN FOCUS                           work horn speaker. When someone
                                            enters a predefined area, the solution
                                                                                       violent instances, wearable solutions       into place to protect certain health-
   Preventing the transmission of                                                      are quite effective at doing this. Con-     care information, and this type of vid-
coronavirus in high traffic healthcare      automatically triggers an audio mes-       sider a recent study by the National        eo footage qualifies as such: this law in
settings is without question, critical.     sage.                                      Health Services of Great Britain. It        Canada is instituted by the provinces
Hospitals can get a handle on the              Along with helping to mitigate the      showed a reduction of violence to-          as a Personal Health Information Pri-
virus by utilizing an access control        spread of viruses, access control solu-    wards nurses, other clinical staff, and     vacy Legislation for the Health Sector.
                                            tions can help hospitals and urgent        users. It’s also moderating the way in
system. This eliminates keypads thus                                                                                                                 Continued on page 13

10 HOSPITAL NEWS JANUARY 2022                                                                                                                      www.hospitalnews.com
NEWS

Emergency department tackles workplace
violence with two new safety tools
By Robyn Cox
            or physicians and staff in

  F
the job.
            the Emergency Depart-
            ment (ED), physical and
            verbal abuse is a reality of

   A 2017 study of Ontario Council
of Hospital Union members found 68
per cent of frontline staff said they had
been physically assaulted in the past 12
months – with 86 per cent having ex-
perienced verbal violence in the same
period. And more anecdotal reports
and surveys suggest the pandemic has
exacerbated the problem.
   “Violence has always been present
in our work, but I feel it has gotten
progressively worse,” says Kerri, who
works as a nurse in the ED at St. Mi-
chael’s Hospital of Unity Health To-
ronto and asked to be identified by her
                                            Dr. Justin Logan and Kerri (first name), an ED nurse, stand outside the Emergency Department at St. Michael’s
first name. “COVID-19 has increased
                                            Hospital (Photo by Yuri Markarov)
people’s stress level. What we’re see-
ing now is that stress becoming over-       hospital’s safety event reporting system   acknowledging that everyone who            physicians. The campaign included
whelming – and a visit to the ED is         and will identify if the patient was in-   comes through those doors is not at        a blitz of awareness-building on how
often the breaking point.”                  volved in violent incident in the past     their best – and understanding that        to use the new tools and an oppor-
   A year ago, in the midst of wave         six months. Current behavior is mea-       we can do little things that can make      tunity to facilitate honest conver-
two, the team in the St. Michael’s          sured using the Acute Care Violence        their day better.”                         sations about the ED team’s experi-
ED had reached a crossroads. “Be-           Assessment Tool created by the Public         Suggestions on the Agitation Road-      ences with violence.
tween what we knew was statistically        Services Health & Safety Association       map include asking team members,              “We’ve been having regular safety
true about workplace violence in the        (PSHSA) – which takes into account         such as such as a community support        huddles – both morning and evening
ED and what we had anecdotally or           behaviours like confusion, paranoia        worker, mental health nurse or physi-      to cover both shifts. We’re giving
personally experienced, there was a         and verbal or physical threats to pro-     cian, to check-in on a patient. The pa-    staff an opportunity to ask questions.
sense that enough was enough and we         vide an overall risk rating.               tient may be feeling agitated because      We’re explaining the Safety Dash-
needed to take control of this situa-          “The Safety Dashboard can be            they need food, water, warm clothing       board and the Agitation Roadmap to
tion and act on it,” says Justin Logan,     launched on the desktop of any ED          or pain management. A patient may          encourage uptake,” says Logan. “It’s
a physician in the ED.                      team member to give them situational       also receive warnings from nursing or      going to take a period of sustained
   Logan and Kerri are members of the       awareness of what’s happening in the       security to ensure they know that ver-     communication and support to really
St. Michael’s ED Safety Committee,          department,” says Logan. “It’s updated     bal abuse and violence won’t be tol-       engrain these initiatives into our reg-
which brings together nurses, physi-        every 15 minutes. If a patient’s vio-      erated. If agitation continues despite     ular protocols in the ED.”
cians, security personnel and other         lence assessment tool rating goes up or    warnings, a physician will be notified        Logan and Kerri are quick to note
members of the ED team to improve           down during their time in the ED, it’s     to support timely decision-making on       that improving safety in the ED is
safety in the department. Over the          reflected on the dashboard.”               the patient’s care plan.                   about long-term change and will take
past year they and their colleagues on         While the Safety Dashboard sup-            “These initiatives are about our peo-   long-term strategies.
the committee have developed two            ports awareness on the team, the Ag-       ple being safe so they can provide the        “This is only a starting point. It’s
safety initiatives: the Safety Dash-        itation Roadmap empowers ED team           best possible care,” says Kerri. “Our      not a one-and-done situation,” says
board and the Agitation Roadmap.            members to take action based on that       patients are the reason we are working     Kerri. “This is a culture change –
   The Safety Dashboard is a digital        awareness. It provides specific steps to   – and that includes patients who are       and that takes time. Over the last
tool that looks at the history of a pa-     help manage difficult situations and       agitated. These tools help us to think     year, I’ve witnessed my colleagues
tient and their real-time behavior to       suggestions to support patients who are    about how we can approach the situa-       have a voice and make their con-
give healthcare providers an under-         agitated during their stay in the ED.      tion safely and compassionately.”          cerns known. It’s extremely import-
standing of whether the patient has            “I don’t think anyone who comes            Both tools launched in Novem-           ant because change can only hap-
a mild-moderate or high risk of vio-        into the ED is having a good day,”         ber as part of the ED’s ‘No Violence       pen through open communication
lence. The dashboard pulls from the         says Kerri. “Sometimes it’s about          November’ campaign for staff and           and continual improvement.” ■    H

Robyn Cox is a Senior Communications Advisor at Unity Health Toronto

12 HOSPITAL NEWS JANUARY 2022                                                                                                                    www.hospitalnews.com
NEWS
Continued from page 10                                                         Continued from page 9

Keeping staff                                                                  Workplace violence
                                                                                  The validated, consensus-based                     long. And now, as violent incidents
                                                                               toolkits were built in partnership with               continue to rise amid a growing fourth

safe and secure                                                                stakeholders across Ontario’s health-
                                                                               care sector and are available free of
                                                                               charge at www.workplace-violence.ca.
                                                                                                                                     wave, where healthcare workers are al-
                                                                                                                                     ready overwhelmed, burnt out and ex-
                                                                                                                                     hausted, they’ve hit a breaking point.
   However, under law enforcement        centres should not be a short-term
laws, hospitals will only disclose       fix unless it’s for a temporary fa-      An evaluation of the initial five tools               By building meaningful, cohesive
health information if required by law,   cility. They should be adopted        was completed to better understand                    and multi-faceted workplace violence
under court order, warrant or sub-       with the intention of them being      their awareness, use and effectiveness                prevention programs, Canadian hospi-
poena to identify or locate a suspect,   a long-term answer that can help      among Ontario hospitals. Overall, 67                  tals can deliver results and sustainabili-
fugitive, witness, or missing person.    improve safety and quality of care    per cent of public hospitals in Ontario               ty in the prevention of violent incidents
   In response to law enforcement,       today, as well as in many situa-      reported using at least one of the tool-              and protection of their employees. In
officials will request information       tions that could potentially occur    kits and, of these, 89 per cent reported              turn, this will create a climate where
about a victim or suspected victim of    in the future.                        improving their processes, programs and               workers feel comfortable coming for-
a crime to alert law enforcement of a       Security and operations teams,     systems to prevent and manage work-                   ward with concerns and improves the
death. Hospitals are obliged by fed-     need to ask themselves “Where         place violence. Hospitals used the tool-              ability to recruit and retain employees.
eral and local laws to inform police     do we start”? They should look        kits most often to identify safety risks,                We know that healthcare workers
of any serious crime, the location       to partner with a provider that       consider safety proactively in planning               play an integral role in our communities
of the victims, and perpetrator of a     will work with them by under-         and validate or improve existing efforts.             and are our healthcare system’s great-
crime if they have the information.      standing their facility’s unique         While the risk of workplace violence               est asset. Ensuring a healthy healthcare
                                         requirements. Network surveil-        is nothing new to Ontario’s healthcare                workforce free from violence will help
SURVEILLANCE                             lance solutions should be inte-       workers, it’s been tolerated for too                  sustain quality care for all Canadians. ■H

SOLUTIONS                                grated with other systems, and
                                                                               Henrietta Van hulle is Vice President, Client Outreach at Public Services
  Surveillance solutions installed       they should be adaptable, flexible
                                         and scalable. ■                       Health & Safety Association. Henrietta began her career as a Registered
today by hospitals and urgent care                       H
                                                                               Nurse where she cared for patients for 17 years before transitioning to
Paul Baratta is the Segment Development Manager for healthcare                 occupational health and safety.
for Axis Communications.

                                               PCR Testing                                           Standardized Molecular Testing
                                                Diagnose with Confidence                             for Acute Care Settings
                                                                                                               Scalable Design: 2-, 4-, 8- and 16-module
                                                                                                               options available for customized throughput needs

                                                                                                               Random Access: True, on-demand
                                                                                                               walkaway testing system

                                                                                                               Easy Integration: No specialized training
                                                                                                               or daily maintenance required

                                                                                                               PCR in Three Simple Steps
                                                                                                               1   Obtain swab specimen

                                                                                                               2   Transfer sample to cartridge

                                                                                                     GO 3 Insert cartridge and start test

                                                                                                      For more information visit www.cepheid.com/En_CA

                                                                                                      For In Vitro Diagnostic Use.
FROM THE CEO’S DESK

Test kits for staff
result in ‘multiple saves’

David Musyj is President and CEO,
Windsor Regional Hospital.

By David Musyj
                                           Some are personal responsibilities like    and doing the same to colleagues and        in spread of COVID-19 between staff.
             ince the start of COVID-19    wearing appropriate PPE, washing           patients. As a result, in August before     We looked at limiting the number of

 S           Windsor Regional Hos-
             pital (WRH) has learned
             that we need to review
the science and research and be able
                                           hands and staying home if sick. Others
                                           are shared responsibilities like vacci-
                                           nation, quarantine and isolation and
                                           border controls or stay at home orders.
                                                                                      school started we purchased rapid an-
                                                                                      tigen test kits and provided them to
                                                                                      staff for surveillance use at home. The
                                                                                      fast testing referred to by Dr. Mackay.
                                                                                                                                  persons in each room at any given
                                                                                                                                  time as well as tried various dividers
                                                                                                                                  between staff with social distancing.
                                                                                                                                  However, air ventilation and filtration
to make changes quickly and safely for     Two shared responsibilities that are       This has resulted in multiple “saves” to    was not fully known. The addition of
the protection of patients, staff and      also very important that sometimes         that has possibly avoided spread in our     C02 monitors in staff rooms allows for
our communities. From adapting to          are not focused on is fast and sensitive   community, schools or hospital. WRH         an objective measure of air ventilation
changes involving the appropriate per-     testing and appropriate air filtration     team members have shared their sto-         that has been used by multiple coun-
sonal protective equipment to clinical     and ventilation.                           ries thanking the hospital team for         tries across the world. The WRH staff
treatment of patients adapting to what        At WRH we have implemented a            making these rapid antigen test kits        are provided with written materials on
we have learned over the last two years    vaccine mandate for both staff and         available to their family and avoiding      the level of C02 to be aware of that is
has saved lives of both patients and       visitors with limited exceptions for       even spread within their own house-         safe versus the level that indicates air
staff. In addition to adapting to chang-   visitors as a result of being an acute     hold due to fast testing and “acting        circulation and ventilation is not ade-
es we learned not one item in and          care facility with a trauma program.       on the results”. Staff now use these        quate and objectively determines that
of itself would protect our staff and      However, we have also recognized           test kits before they visit elderly loved   the conditions are more favourable for
community. We had to use a layered         that vaccines do not have 100 per          ones or before they go to dinner with       COVID-19 to be spread. At the end
approach to protection from acquiring      cent efficacy. Also, many of our staff     friends and family. Again, by itself the    of the day you still need a positive
and/or spreading COVID-19.                 are parents or guardians to children       antigen test kits are not perfect at pre-   COVID-19 person in the room how-
   Dr. Ian M. Mackay, a virologist         that were not or still not eligible for    venting spread. But added with other        ever this objective measurement adds
at the University of Queensland,           vaccinations.                              interventions it supports a defense to      another layer to preventing the spread
in Brisbane, Australia, created the           While at home, parents are not          COVID-19.                                   of COVID-19.
“Swiss Cheese Respiratory Pandemic         wearing PPE with their children in            Another intervention WRH added              Similar to the Swiss Cheese mod-
Defense”. Dr Mackay’s model made           their homes and as a result susceptible    for its team members is carbon dioxide      el that will continue to expand as we
it clear not one single intervention       to acquiring COVID-19 and have lim-        monitors (C02). During earlier waves        proceed through this pandemic WRH
is perfect at preventing spread of         ited symptoms as a result. This could      it became evident at many health-           will continue to actively monitor the
COVID-19 it takes multiple layers to       result in a child returning to school      care institutions across the world that     science and research and implement
improve the success of preventing the      and spreading COVID-19 to their            staff rooms and areas in which staff        changes that protect our patients, staff
acquisition and spread of COVID-19.        class or the employee coming to work       took breaks to eat or drink resulted        and community. ■  H

David Musyj is President and CEO, Windsor Regional Hospital.

14 HOSPITAL NEWS JANUARY 2022                                                                                                                    www.hospitalnews.com
SPONSORED CONTENT

Disability claims – A primer
By Judith Hull & Katharine Creighton
             s health care professionals,

  A          you are aware of the risk of
             becoming disabled at any
             age.
   Prior to the pandemic, Canadian
workers took an average of 8.5 days of
leave for illness and disability in 2019.
   The pandemic has had a signifi-
cant impact on frontline health care
workers’ mental health. A Statistics
Canada survey, Mental health among
health care workers in Canada during the
COVID-19 pandemic, February 2021,
revealed that 7 in 10 health care work-
ers reported worsening mental health
due to the pandemic.
   For those who find themselves un-
able to continue working due to im-
paired mental health, chronic stress,
or other health-related disabilities, it is
important to understand which bene-
fits may be available to you.
   Workplace Safety and Insurance
Benefits (WSIB) are available to
many hospital workers, provided that
the illness or impairment is sustained
by accident, arising out of and in the
course of one’s employment. Critically,
amendments to the Workplace Safety
and Insurance Act in 2017 now per-               If your employer does not offer a        disability benefits are often available       CPP contributors who are under age 65
mit chronic or traumatic mental stress        short-term disability plan, or you do       either through a group plan (such as          with a severe and prolonged disability,
arising out of and within the course          not qualify for the benefit, you can        your employer or union, college or            as defined in the Canada Pension Plan
of the worker’s employment to be in-          apply for Employment Insurance (EI)         professional affiliations) or can be pur-     legislation. There are two eligibility cri-
surable. A diagnosis of post-traumatic        sickness benefits. EI benefits can pro-     chased privately. Often, group plans          teria for the CPPD program:
stress can also qualify certain enumer-       vide you with up to 15 weeks of finan-      provide basic coverage. For high-in-          Ý$SSOLFDQWVPXVWKDYHPDGHFRQWUL-
ated workers for benefits, provided           cial assistance if you cannot work for      come earners, it is wise to purchase ad-         butions to the program in 4 of the
certain conditions are met.                   medical reasons. You could receive 55       ditional long-term disability coverage           last 6 years, with minimum levels of
                                                                                          privately. If you pay the entire amount          earnings in each of these years, or 3
    THE PANDEMIC HAS HAD A SIGNIFICANT                                                    of the disability premium yourself (e.g.         of the last 6 years for those with 25
    IMPACT ON FRONTLINE HEALTH CARE                                                       by funding your own private insurance,
                                                                                          or as a source deduction from your
                                                                                                                                           or more years of contributions; and
                                                                                                                                        Ý7KH\ PXVW GHPRQVWUDWH WKDW WKHLU
    WORKERS’ MENTAL HEALTH.                                                               paycheque), your disability benefits             physical or mental disability pre-
                                                                                          will be tax-free. If your employer pays          vents them from working regularly
                                                                                          all or part of the disability premium,           at any job that is substantially gain-
   Your employer may also offer a             per cent of your earnings up to a max-      your disability benefits will be subject         ful, and that it is long-term and of
short-term disability plan. Short-term        imum of $595 a week.                        to deductions for income tax.                    indefinite duration or is likely to
disability insurance, as the name sug-           Long-term disability benefits are           Again, each disability plan is differ-        result in death.
gests, is intended to replace a portion of    intended to provide coverage for a          ent so you should review your policy              Not all disabilities can be plainly
your income for a short period of time        longer period of time, generally up to      to see what you might be entitled to          seen or are easily recognized. The bene-
due to disability requiring you to be off     age of retirement for those who qualify     should the need arise.                        fits outlined above are intended to safe-
work. While each plan may vary, typi-         and typically begin when short-term            Another source of benefits is the          guard you from an unexpected disabil-
cally, short-term disability will provide     disability or EI benefits end. These dis-   Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD)         ity, including impaired mental health
coverage ranging from 60 to 80 per            ability benefits typically replace 60 to    benefits. They are intended to provide        and chronic stress, that effects your
cent of your income for up to 6 months.       70 percent of your income. Long-term        partial income replacement to eligible        ability to work and earn an income. Q   H

Judith Hull and Katharine Creighton are lawyers with the Personal Injury Team at McKenzie Lake Lawyers LLP.                                             mckenzielake.com

www.hospitalnews.com                                                                                                                  JANUARY 2022 HOSPITAL NEWS 15
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