Healthcare Worker Dies Following Violent Patient Incident
A healthcare worker died following an incident of violence at a care facility, raising alarms over workplace safety.
Key Points
- • A healthcare worker died after being struck by a patient at a Humana facility in Bollnäs.
- • The facility had not reported any violent incidents to the Swedish Work Environment Authority for nine years prior to this incident.
- • Medical reports confirmed that injuries were consistent with violence, not an accident.
- • Humana has acknowledged mishandling incident reporting and submitted a retroactive report to authorities.
A tragic incident in the healthcare sector has come to light as a healthcare worker at the Humana care facility in Bollnäs died after being struck by a patient. This incident underscores longstanding concerns regarding workplace safety in healthcare settings.
The worker, a 63-year-old man, suffered fatal injuries in April of the previous year after a patient struck him in the face, causing him to fall. Initially, Humana described the occurrence as a mere accident; however, investigative reports revealed that the injuries were consistent with violence. Medical records disclosed that he had fractures to both the front and back of his head, with a specific injury to the left eye as noted by the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine.
Notably, this incident is not isolated. Staff members at the neuropsychiatric assessment unit had reported persistent violence in the workplace, raising serious questions about the safety protocols in place. Despite these reports, Humana had failed to notify the Swedish Work Environment Authority of any violent incidents for nine years leading up to this tragic event.
In light of the investigation, Humana has acknowledged failures in their incident reporting procedures and has submitted a retroactive report to the Work Environment Authority, covering violent incidents over the past five years. This admission highlights systemic issues in incident reporting practices within the healthcare sector, emphasizing the need for robust measures to ensure employee safety.