Home Health Training
Admin
11.2 Safety

Personal Safety in the Field

Before you go, at the door, inside the home, and how to leave — plus the one rule that overrides everything else.

Updated Sep 18, 2026

Leaving is never the wrong call. No visit is worth your safety, and nobody will second-guess you for driving away. If you take one thing from this page, take that.

You work alone, in other people's homes, in neighbourhoods you do not know, carrying medical supplies. Almost every visit is uneventful. The point of preparation is that you are not making decisions for the first time when one is not.

Before you go

  • Know the address, and look at it on a map before you set off
  • Check the chart for flags — previous incidents, dogs, weapons, substance use, mental health
  • Know who lives there, not just who the patient is
  • Tell the office your schedule, and update it when it changes
  • Phone charged; car fuelled
  • Schedule uncertain neighbourhoods earlier in the day
  • If the referral or a colleague raises a concern, ask for a buddy visit — this is a normal request, not an admission of anything

Parking and approach

  • Park on the street, facing out, not in a driveway you would have to reverse out of
  • Do not park where you can be blocked in
  • Take only what you need; leave the bag in the car if you are unsure
  • Lock the car; nothing visible inside
  • Phone in a pocket, not in the bag
  • Walk with your head up, and look at the property before you reach the door
  • If something feels wrong on the approach, go back to the car. Call from there.

At the door

  • Stand to the side of the door, not directly in front
  • Identify yourself clearly
  • Ask about dogs before you go in, every time
  • Look past whoever answers — who else is in the room, what is the atmosphere
  • If you are met by someone impaired, agitated, or hostile, do not enter

Inside

  • Know where the exit is, and keep a path to it
  • Position yourself so you are not boxed into a corner or behind furniture
  • Sit where you can see the door
  • Keep your bag and keys within reach, not across the room
  • Stay off headphones; keep one ear on the house
  • If people arrive during the visit, reassess

Dogs

Most animal injuries in home health are dogs, and most were foreseeable.

  • Ask for the dog to be secured in another room before you enter — every visit, not just the first
  • Do not accept "he's friendly" as a plan
  • Do not reach toward or over a dog
  • If the dog is loose and the family will not secure it, leave and call the office
  • A dog bite is an occurrence report and needs medical follow-up — see Incidents and Occurrence Reporting

Signs to leave

Go, immediately, without finishing:

  • Weapons visible, or anyone handling one
  • Threats, shouting, or escalating aggression
  • Visible drug activity or drug paraphernalia in use
  • Anyone intoxicated and unpredictable
  • A situation that has drawn a crowd
  • Your own instinct telling you to go — this counts as a reason on its own

You do not need to justify it in the moment. Leave first, explain from the car.

De-escalating

When someone is angry but the situation is not yet dangerous:

  • Lower your voice rather than raising it
  • Give them space; do not close the distance
  • Acknowledge the feeling — "I can hear how frustrating this has been"
  • Do not argue about facts while emotion is high
  • Do not touch them
  • Keep your exit clear
  • Offer to come back: "I'm going to give you some time and call this afternoon"

Leaving mid-visit and returning later is a professional judgment, not a failure.

After an incident

  1. Get to safety. 911 if there is any ongoing threat.
  2. Call your Field Supervisor — the same day, however minor it seemed
  3. Seek medical attention for any injury, including bites and scratches
  4. Complete the occurrence report
  5. Document objectively in the medical record what affected patient care
  6. Expect the case to be reviewed — flagged, reassigned, buddy-visited, or discharged for cause

Report the near misses too. The visit where nothing happened but you were uneasy is exactly the information that protects the next clinician.

Driving

More clinicians are injured driving than in homes.

  • Do not chart while driving. Do not read messages while driving.
  • Pull over to take calls
  • Plan the route before you start moving
  • Build in time; a rushed clinician drives badly
  • In bad weather, talk to scheduling rather than pressing on

Working late or on call

  • Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be done
  • Agree a check-in, and actually check in
  • Carry a torch
  • Be more cautious about unfamiliar addresses after dark
  • If you would not go in during the day, do not go in at night