Reports of physical and verbal violence against healthcare workers are on the increase and now an Indiana congressman wants to introduce legislation to make such attacks a federal crime, a local CBS4 report said.
Larry Bucshon, MD, a Republican who represents the state's 8th congressional district and is also a physician, plans to introduce the SAVE Act, a proposed bill similar to laws already passed by Congress protecting airline workers against such attacks. The legislation has the support of the American Hospital Association, the report said.
On average, approximately 57 nurses are assaulted every day, according to the report. About 20 percent of nurses nationwide have reported increased incidents of assault.
Dr. Bucshon went further.
"Almost half of nurses are reporting some physical threats to their bodies, where people grabbed them, pushed them," he said. "And then almost 70 percent are reporting verbal abuse. So, this is really a critical thing that’s happening in our healthcare system."