Exemplary threat management in the hospital
The University Hospital Zurich was the first European company to be certified for threat management.
Since the introduction of threat management on University Hospital Zurich (USZ) According to Claudio Leitgeb, Head of Safety and Environment, there were around 60 cases in 2014 in which the threat management team became active. Most of the cases involved lighter verbal assaults that had to be clarified, but there were also more serious cases of death threats, suicide announcements or stalking.
In a large facility like the USZ, with over 8000 employees and a high frequency of patients or visitors, as well as a very emotional environment, there is an increased risk of threats. For example, relatives may find it difficult to come to terms with the death of a patient - they look for someone to blame and make threats.
Interdisciplinary team
The USZ's threat management aims to stop threatening behavior towards employees at an early stage and thus prevent escalation. Claudio Leitgeb: "Acts of violence rarely happen out of the blue. Serious cases in particular are often preceded by a long history, and the perpetrator usually makes threats or behaves in a conspicuous manner beforehand."
The threat management team can be convened around the clock via the alarm center of the USZ Security Service. This is an interdisciplinary group with representatives from Security and Legal Services, Nursing, Psychiatry and Human Resource Management. If employees at the USZ report that they feel threatened, the group meets and immediately initiates the necessary measures.
USZ first company with certification
The European Threat Managers Association (Association of European Threat Assessment Professionals AETAP) is the European association of threat management professionals. Worldwide, there are four associations that certify professionals, institutions and companies. The European quality standards were developed in coordination with the Canadian, the US-American and the Asian/Australian association and are recognized on an international level.
The USZ was the first company in Europe to meet the stringent requirements for threat management certification. In addition to complete documentation of the processes, this includes in particular the organization of a threat management team that is ready for action at any time with an internal and external network (e.g. to the police) as well as case management with threat analysis. Andrea Wechlin, member of the AETAP board, emphasized during the presentation of the certificate that Switzerland is the most advanced country in Europe in the area of threat management. The USZ is a leader in the healthcare sector and has therefore been awarded the label of handling threat management in accordance with the globally valid quality standards.
