Workplace violence: occupational health nurses' beliefs and experiences

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe occupational health nurses' beliefs about workplace violence and violence prevention education. The study examined what nurses believe about their intentions and ability to provide violence prevention education, as well as barriers they perceive to providing such programs. A survey was sent to a random sample of 700 members of the AAOHN; 357 surveys were used for data analysis. The study found that many occupational health nurses believe they and their companies are at risk for violence. In addition, many of the occupational health nurses had experienced harassment, threats, or assaults at their workplaces during the previous 12 months. Few occupational health nurses had provided violence prevention programs in their workplaces or intended to provide such programs during the following 12 months. The largest barrier to providing violence prevention education was the employer did not recognize violence prevention education as part of the nurse's job responsibilities.