Aggression in clinical settings: nurses' views--a follow-up study

Abstract

Results from this empirical study (n = 270) indicate that nurses from both the public and private sector are more worried about colleague aggression than aggression from other sources, that such aggression ranks as a major workplace distress factor for them, that different clinical settings have their own profiles of aggression, and following incidents of aggression, staff talk with colleagues and friends rather than with human resource or trade union personnel. These findings shadow those of a previous small scale qualitative study conducted by the author and they add to the growing recognition and concern that nurses, like employees in other settings, are subjected to high levels of interpersonal conflict at work.