Experiences of Workplace Violence and Coping Strategies Among Emergency Nurses in Egypt: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

Abstract

Introduction: Emergency nurses in Egypt face a high risk of workplace violence, but their subjective experiences are not well understood.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the causes, sources, types, and coping strategies related to workplace violence among emergency nurses in Egypt.

Methods: A descriptive qualitative design was used. Data were collected from 312 emergency nurses in an Egyptian hospital setting via an open-ended qualitative questionnaire and analyzed using directed content analysis.

Results: The primary cause of violence was work pressure (reported by 61% of nurses), driven by a lack of protection and staff shortages. The main sources of violence were external, from patients' relatives (62%), and internal, from hierarchical disputes (18%). Verbal abuse was the most prevalent type of violence (78%), followed by physical violence (16%). The most common response was notifying supervisors (55%), though many nurses also reported significant emotional distress and avoidance coping.

Conclusion: This study reveals that workplace violence against emergency nurses in Egypt is driven by a dual threat of external-family and internal-organizational pressures. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that not only manage patient-family interactions but also address systemic organizational failures and internal hierarchical conflicts to ensure nurse safety.

Keywords: Egypt; coping strategies; emergency nurses; qualitative research; workplace violence.