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Workplace Violence in Nursing

Introduction

Workplace violence is one of the major concerns that is affecting the healthcare sector.

Especially nurses have, in recent times, experienced an increase in violence meted out against

them. Workplace violence is when staff get abused or threatened at work or commuting to and

from work. Data from the World Health Organization show that 8% to 38% of nurses face

workplace-related violence at some point in their careers (Kafle et al., 2022). Compared with

other sectors, this data shows that nurses are more exposed to violence than other professions.

Some of the most commonly faced by nurses are physical, psychological, and even sexual abuse.

The reported incidents where nurses have been abused and psychologically threatened have been

on the rise, which shows that proper measures have to be put in place to put an end to this

violence.

Background Information

Violence against nurses is a global problem that has received much attention in recent

years. The main perpetrator of violence towards nurses are patients and their family members.

More than 25% of the reported violence has been physical abuse, and 50 % of the reported cases

have been verbal abuse and bullying (Al‐Qadi, 2021). The nurses providing life-saving care are

the most victimized group among all categories of nurses. They are often intimidated and

threatened by a patient's family who feels their kin is not getting the treatment and care they

deserve. As a result of this, violence has been established as the major reason why most nurses

resign from their jobs yearly.

Workplace violence has been reported to be increasing at an alarming rate in the United

States. This has prompted the healthcare administration to invest heavily in bolstering security on

their premises. In 2016, more than 1.1 billion dollars was invested by different healthcare

facilities in security and training to try and prevent incidents of violence (Al‐Qadi, 2021).

Additionally, Al‐Qadi,( 2021) writes that medical facilities have had to increase their insurance

coverage to 429 million dollars to carter for any medical care expenses and workplace violence

that their workers might be exposed to.

Cursing, swearing, and shouting are the most commonly reported forms of verbal abuse

that nurses have to endure daily. Studies have also indicated that violence against nurses is often

underreported. The first reason for the low number of cases reported is due to a lack of

management taking more appropriate and necessary action regarding the reported cases.

Secondly, some nurses believe that violence is part of their job since those in dire need of

medical attention have developmental problems due to stress. Lastly, the process involved in

reporting violence-related cases may be long and complicated, resulting in a person being

discouraged as one would feel it would be a waste of time.

Effects of Workplace Violence

Violence significantly undermines the roles that nurses are supposed to do in the

workplace. The healing mission of healthcare facilities is also affected as the nurses would be

physically and emotionally drained to provide optimal caregiving services to their patients. The

individual nurse facing violence, the healthcare facility, and the nursing profession feel the

effects of this series of violence. According to Ope-babadele and Ilesanmi (2019), violence

results in pain, distress, and even death of patients as the abuse lowers the productivity and

morale of nurses, making them not put in much care when looking after the patients. Physical
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violence against nurses has been reported to result in physical injuries, such as broken bones and

bruises, thus negatively impacting the overall health of the nurse.

Stress has been established as one of the main effects of violence on nurses. It results in

demoralization and reduces their commitment to work for the nurses and, as a result, affects the

patient's healing process for the patients. In some rare cases, death has also been reported as an

effect of workplace violence in healthcare facilities. Additionally, workplace violence is known

to create constant fears in the mind of nurses (Kafle et al., 2022). Nurses develop paranoia when

dealing with their patients, which can also affect their work quality. Therefore workplace

violence plays a significant role in hampering the nursing profession. This violence also affects

the therapeutic relationship between nurses and their patients and, in the long run, results in

burnout and job dissatisfaction. Finally, workplace violence also leads to a toxic working

environment for nurses and other healthcare providers. It is, therefore, important that workplace

violence is eliminated in the nursing sector so that service delivery remains at an optimal level.

Strategies for Managing Workplace Violence

Implementing the necessary strategies can significantly reduce the reported violence

against nurses. First, a nurse needs to understand what can be considered workplace violence.

When nurses can understand and identify what can be considered as violence, they can report it

to the authorities who may act on it, thus reducing the likelihood of a repeat of such violence.

Secondly, medical professionals should be given adequate training on how to protect themselves

best. According to Brous (2018), this training can play a huge role in reducing the violence that

nurses face, as they would know all the necessary actions to help prevent it. Lastly, the

management of healthcare facilities should ensure that all aspects of violence are addressed. By
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doing this, the management would be putting everyone on high alert for any reported violence,

and in the process, this would greatly help reduce workplace-related violence.
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References

Al‐Qadi, M. M. (2021). Workplace violence in nursing: A concept analysis. Journal of

Occupational Health, 63(1), e12226. https://doi.org/10.1002/1348-9585.12226

Brous, E. (2018). Workplace Violence. AJN the American Journal of Nursing, 118(10), 51–55.

https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NAJ.0000546381.04422.55

Kafle, S., Paudel, S., Thapaliya, A., & Acharya, R. (2022). Workplace violence against nurses: a

narrative review. Journal of Clinical and Translational Research, 8(5), 421–424.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9536186/

Ope-babadele, O., & Ilesanmi, R. (2019). Pattern of Workplace Violence and Perceived Effects

on Nurses’ Work Productivity in Selected Hospitals in Ibadan, Oyo State. International

Journal of Studies in Nursing, 4(3), 105. https://doi.org/10.20849/ijsn.v4i3.626