Exposure to Workplace Violence and Coping in Intensive Care Unit Nurses

Abstract

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to examine workplace violence (verbal, physical, and sexual violence) among nurses in intensive care units (ICU). Methods: This cross-sectional survey was done from November 8 to 27, 2010, using self-administered questionnaires. The responses of 251 nurses were analyzed. Results: The results of this study showed that ICU nurses frequently experience workplace violence. Verbal violence was more frequent than physical or sexual violence. The most frequent action taken by respondents after violence was seeking help from colleagues. Violence occurred most often when a patient's mental status was altered or the patient had too much alcohol, and when the patient or family was not satisfied with the hospital services because of delay of test results or treatment. In addition, miscommunication between doctors and nurses or among nurses was a major reason for violent behavior. Nurses regarded public apologies, professional counseling, and communication skill training as effective methods to prevent or deal with violence. Conclusion: These results suggest that institutional and administrative support to promote a safe and efficient work environment in hospitals should be provided to minimize the possibilities of violent behavior by patients or patients' families directed at medical personnel.

Prevalence and Perpetrators of Workplace Violence by Nursing Unit and the Relationship Between Violence and the Perceived Work Environment

“…ICUs had the highest prevalence of physical violence, threats of violence, and verbal abuse. Violence in ICUs was mainly perpetrated by patients, which may stem from intentional or unintentional aggression of patients in a confused or irritable mental status or severe pain (Park et al., ). While violence from patients or patients’ families was rare for nurses in operating rooms, the nurses were more likely to be exposed to violence from physicians.…”

“…In addition, heavy work demands under time pressure caused by low staffing levels, high patient acuity, and high patient turnover have been reported to create stressful situations for patients, families, and hospital staff members (Carayon & Gurses, ; Di Martino, ); these intense or continuous stressful situations increase the risk for workplace violence by superiors, patients, and patients’ families (Camerino, Estryn‐Behar, Conway, van Der Heijden, & Hasselhorn, ; Roche, Diers, Duffield, & Catling‐Paull, ). The type of nursing unit or clinical area (e.g., intensive care, perioperative, geriatric, psychiatric, and emergency) is also known to influence the prevalence of violence against nurses due to differences in their patient populations and the care provided to patients (Camerino et al., ; Cook, Green, & Topp, ; Park, Kang, Kim, & Kwon, ).…”

The Development and Effectiveness of a Clinical Training Violence Prevention Program for Nursing Students

“…The majority of nursing students at clinical training sites experienced diverse types of violence, including from patients, caregivers, nurses, doctors, and hospital employees. They experienced violence in emergency rooms, general wards, psychiatric wards, and intensive care units; as many as 40% to 98.2% of study respondents experienced violence [6,[15][16][17][18]. Nursing students experiencing verbal abuse or physical violence complained of psychological problems, such as anxiety, fear, decreased self-confidence, anger, and hostility, as well as physical problems caused by trauma; some of them even wanted to quit their nursing program [6,[18][19][20][21][22].…”

“…Many types of workplace violence occur in the healthcare field [1][2][3], including physical violence, injury, blackmail, insult, defamation, interference with work, and indecent assault [4,5]. Specifically, nurses are exposed to risks of physical and psychological violence; violence to nurses in healthcare centers in South Korea and abroad has recently been recognized as a social problem [6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

Exposure to Violence and Coping Behavior during the Clinical Practice of Nursing Students

“…Table 2]. 한편 선행연구에서는 간호학생들의 폭력에 대한 대처 전략으로 보고체계 [11,12,16], 전문가 상담 [8,12], 안전 한 병원환경 구축 [11], 의사소통 훈련 [14,17,21], 폭력 예방교육 [11,16] …”