Many people are surprised to learn how often workplace violence in nursing occurs. Several factors increase a nurse’s risk of facing workplace violence, including directly dealing with patients who have a history of violence or who may be delirious or under the influence of drugs.
According to a report from the U.S. Department of Labor, the rate of serious workplace violence incidents was, on average, more than four times higher in healthcare than in private industry between 2002 and 2013. Even more alarming, the report found that healthcare accounts for nearly as many violent injuries as all other industries combined.
Within the healthcare industry, nurses experience the most workplace violence, given that they provide 24-hour care to patients. Workplace violence can include physical violence (assaults, spitting, or kicking) or psychological violence (including verbal abuse, acts of intimidation, and bullying) and affect a nurses’ ability to perform their job.
Violence within the workplace can take many forms, from egregious acts that appear on the news, such as the recent shooting at a medical facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to daily verbal transgressions. More often than not, workplace violence for nurses manifests as verbal abuse and threats that go unreported. This type of violence is repeatedly overlooked and taken in stride as “part of the job,” leading to the perpetuation of an unsafe and toxic work environment.
Nurses should never have to put their health and safety in jeopardy. Through conscious interventions and strategic communication, healthcare leaders can work to protect their employees and allow them to focus on what matters most: serving their patients.
What is Workplace Violence in Nursing?
Violence in nursing and healthcare can be either verbal or physical. Most violent incidents within the workplace involve hostile encounters with patients.
When patients are scared or uncertain about the status of their health, they may take this angst out on the very people trying to help them. Verbal threats addressed to a practitioner are particularly prevalent within the healthcare setting, but some patients take this abuse one step further, lashing out physically when a nurse attempts to check their vitals, or a security guard questions a member of their family. Hostile encounters with patients frequently go unreported as nurses accept them as a normal part of the job.
While the degree of workplace violence encounters can differ in nature, they all have serious implications for nurses and their organizations. Workplace violence has been linked to psychological distress, low employee engagement rates, high turnover, reduced quality of care, and financial liability. Nurses understand that identifying ways to prevent workplace violence in hospitals and other healthcare settings is a top priority.
How to Prevent Workplace Violence in Nursing
While there’s no one solution for preventing workplace violence, nurses and healthcare leaders can take several steps to directly address and reduce the more common forms:
Develop a Zero-Tolerance Policy
Organizations should develop zero-tolerance policies that clearly define a workplace code of conduct as well as consequences for those …read more
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