We are reading more about violence against women in different parts of the world and some are wondering whether there is an increase in violent incidences. However, I believe two of the reasons we are reading more about it are, women are responding to it more and the public is more aware of it. Survey after survey has documented that nurses are frequently exposed to violence from patients, patients’ families and visitors that can take the form of intimidation, harassment, stalking, beatings, stabbings and shootings. Unfortunately this is not true about workplace violence against nurses.
These acts of violence however minor or major have major psychological effects on nurses who are trying to provide quality care and undermine their trust in an infrastructure that does not protect them. Recruitment and job retention of nurses suffer as a consequence. Job absenteeism has also been reported due to violent acts.
Violence in the workplace is wide-spread
One survey of 7,000 emergency room nurses taken from January 2010 to January 2011 found that 53.4 percent of nurses reported experiencing verbal abuse and 12.9 percent reported experiencing physical violence over a seven-day period.
The study by the Emergency Nurses Association found that a patient’s room was the most dangerous place for an emergency nurse. In most cases when there was an assault, the study said nurses did not file a formal report, but did notify someone.
In another report released in 2011, The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that in 2009, there were 2,050 assaults and violent acts reported by RNs requiring an average of 4 days away from work. Of the 2,050 non-fatal assaults and violent acts, 1,830 were inflicted with injuries by patients or residents; 80 were inflicted by visitors or people other than patients; 520 RNs were hit, kicked, or beaten; 130 RNs were squeezed, pinched or scratched requiring days away from work; and 30 RNs were bitten.
There is no federal standard for workplace protection against violence for nurses, although a number of a number of states have laws that require establishment of a comprehensive prevention program for healthcare employers, as well as increased penalties for those convicted of an act of violence against a nurse.
Make violence against nurses a high priority
Six years ago, the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice issued a report on violence in the nursing profession, and came up with a number of recommendations that are still relevant today, and need to be adopted at hospitals and other institutions across the country.
These recommendations include the establishment of clear standards for workplace safety; institutional support for a culture of open communication and reporting among nursing staff, faculty, health care personnel and students regarding violence in the workplace; management training in the workplace; and the availability of clearly defined support resources, such as legal and psychological services, to nurses in violent situations, or at risk of facing violent situations.
It is time that the issue of workplace violence against nurses be given a higher priority, and that health care managers take steps to better protect nurses in the workplace.
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