Nurse ‘strangled unconscious’ by patient at Vancouver General Hospital, union says

A recent incident at Vancouver General Hospital has once again brought attention to the issue of violence against nurses in the workplace. The attack, which took place on March 13, left a nurse injured and recovering at home. According to a Vancouver Coastal Health spokesperson, the nurse was attacked by a patient in the inpatient psychiatry unit at the hospital.

Adriane Gear, the president of the B.C. Nurses’ Union, condemned the attack and called for increased security measures at the hospital. She described the incident as “horrific,” stating that the nurse, who was new in her career, was strangled unconscious and had to be rescued by her colleagues.

The incident highlights the dangers that nurses face on a daily basis, especially in high-risk areas such as psychiatric units. Gear emphasized the need for more security staff in these units, as it often takes several minutes for security to respond to incidents due to the separate location of the psychiatry inpatient units at VGH.

This is not the first time that nurses have been targeted by violent patients in hospitals. In recent months, there have been several attacks on nurses across various healthcare facilities. Gear cited a stabbing at VGH and a case where a man wielding a machete threatened staff at Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody.

The B.C. Nurses’ Union is calling for immediate action to ensure the safety of healthcare workers. They are urging the employer to take steps to protect staff and patients from violent incidents in the workplace. The union is also pushing for more security officers in hospitals to prevent further attacks and to prevent nurses from leaving the profession due to safety concerns.

The Ministry of Health has stated that they have approximately 750 full-time equivalent security guards working across 30 health-care facilities. They are currently exploring opportunities to expand security measures to additional hospital facilities. Meanwhile, WorkSafeBC, the province’s workplace regulator, is being contacted to investigate the attack and ensure that necessary precautions are taken to prevent future incidents.