Healthcare Leaders Say Safety Challenges are Disrupting Care and Driving New Investment
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- Key Point: A national survey of healthcare and retail executives found workplace safety and security are now viewed as strategic priorities, with 93% of healthcare leaders rating them as essential or high priority.
- Why it Matters: Healthcare leaders report safety-related disruption affecting operations, staffing, and care delivery.
- Practice Impact: Challenges contribute to turnover, hiring pressures, insurance and legal costs, and reduced productivity.
- Healthcare Response: Leaders are increasing investment in technology, personnel, training, and de-escalation strategies.
Amid workforce shortages, administrative demands, and rising operational pressures, maintaining safe healthcare environments is essential to delivering high-quality patient care. Your colleagues statewide recognize that workplace safety impacts clinicians, staff, patient trust, continuity of care, and organizational stability.
The newly released 2026 Retail and Healthcare Security Leadership Survey shows that safety has become a top priority for healthcare leaders. After surveying over 250 healthcare and retail executives nationwide, the report found that safety and security are now seen as strategic priorities that require ongoing investment and leadership focus.
Among healthcare leaders, 93% identified workplace safety and security as an essential or high priority, and 84% reported at least moderate operational disruption due to safety or security issues in the past year. These disruptions contribute to employee turnover, recruitment difficulties, increased insurance and legal costs, and reduced productivity.
The report emphasizes that safety challenges have direct consequences for care delivery. Healthcare leaders now assess safety more broadly, considering operational uptime, workforce stability, claims reduction, and patient experience, in addition to traditional security measures. In many organizations, safety and patient care are seen as closely linked.
Healthcare organizations are responding by increasing investment in technologies and strategies to enhance safety and operational efficiency. Over 80% of healthcare leaders support investing in technology, personnel, and training, with particular emphasis on de-escalation training, real-time monitoring, employee wellness programs, and AI-supported tools to improve awareness and preparedness.
For MSSNY and New York physicians, these findings highlight the ongoing need for proactive planning, workforce support, and practical solutions to protect healthcare workers and maintain stable care environments. MSSNY remains committed to supporting physicians and advocating for healthcare systems that promote both clinician well-being and patient care.
2026 retail and healthcare security leadership survey: 5 key takeaways (Axon, May 1).
