Sadly caught up in the moment: an exploration of horizontal violence

Abstract

The behaviors associated with horizontal violence can have negative consequences for nurses, patients, and organizations. Participants in this study were sent a survey that listed nine behaviors associated with horizontal violence. They were asked if they had witnessed, experienced, or neither witnessed nor experienced the nine behaviors. Participants were also asked to respond to three open-ended questions intended to capture their uniquely personal experiences with horizontal violence. For all but one behavior, the majority of participants stated they had witnessed or experienced eight of the nine behaviors associated with horizontal violence in their workplace. In response to the findings of this study, an educational program was developed to assist nurses in recognizing and responding to horizontal violence.