Consequences of workplace violence directed at nurses

Abstract

The consequences of workplace violence (WPV) are far-reaching, and impact on the nurse, the perpetrator and the organization. However, the authors were unable to identify any research in the literature on nurses' perceptions of the consequences of WPV in non-teaching hospital settings. This study therefore aimed to examine nurses' perspectives of the consequences of WPV, to identify ways to reduce the impact of these incidents. A descriptive, exploratory approach was adopted to collect qualitative survey and interview data from nurses working in several areas of one West Australian non-teaching hospital in 2006. Three themes emerged from the data: nurse, perpetrator and organizational consequences. The sub-themes included nurses accepting that WPV is part of their job; physical and emotional effects; not feeling competent; avoiding patients; organizational costs of WPV; adverse effects of restraint; and disruption to patient care. Participants experienced several negative consequences as a result of WPV. Recommendations for improving the safety of hospitals for staff and patients are made in light of the findings.