Nurses’ perceptions of the nature and frequency of aggression in general ward settings and high dependency areas

Abstract

Studies on aggression in healthcare settings have reported increased frequency of this behaviour in both psychiatric and accident and emergency areas; however, to date, very few studies have addressed this issue in general ward settings in Australia. This descriptive study was conducted to determine nurses' perceptions of the nature and frequency of aggressive behaviours in general wards and high dependency areas and thereby address the gap in the literature. Two hundred and nine nurses in one Australian hospital completed a 23-item questionnaire on aggression in the workplace. The findings revealed that the majority (89.5%) of nurses defined aggressive behaviour as including verbal aggression, physical aggression and intimidation. Ninety-five per cent of respondents had encountered at least several episodes of verbal aggression within the last 12 months. Patients were found to be the main perpetrators of aggressive acts, followed by relatives. After experiencing either verbal or physical aggression nurses most frequently reported feeling angry or emotionally hurt. These findings confirm that acts of aggression are experienced frequently in the general medical and surgical ward areas of the study hospital. Consequently, there is a need to provide staff with education and support in order to deal with this issue and minimize the impact of increasing levels of aggression in the workplace.

Violence Towards Healthcare Workers in Turkey: A Systematic Review

“…An cak has ta ya kın la rı ta ra fın dan ge çek leş ti ri len sal dı rı la rın da ha yük sek ol du ğun -dan bah se den baş ka kül tür le re ait ça lış ma lar da bulun mak ta dır. 43,44 Jack son ve Ash ley de sö zel şid de te uğ ra ma da ka dın la rın, fi zik sel şid de te uğ ra ma da er kek le rin ora nı nın yük sek li ğin den bah set mek te dir. 5 Mes lek ola rak hem şi re ler şid de te uğ ra ma ko nu sun da da ha risk li grup tur ve bu bul gu pek çok ulus la ra ra sı yayın bul gu su ile ben zer dir.…”

Aggression management in a children's hospital setting

“…In a Western Australian study that documented the prevalence of client initiated violence in general wards and high dependency settings, O'Connell, Young, Brooks, Hutchings and Lofthouse (2000) showed high levels of client initiated aggression. In this study, the researchers examined nurses' perceptions of the nature and frequency of aggression.…”

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Managing acute behavioural problems in medicine

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“…Various studies have shown that more than 95% of health professionals have experienced several episodes of verbal aggression in the workplace. 1 Behavioural disturbances can present in various ways, for example refusal of proposed medical intervention, wandering, self harm, depression, anxiety, agitation, threatening behaviour, aggression and violence.The most frequent causes of behavioural problems in hospitals are confusion, alcohol misuse, substance withdrawal, drugs, fear, physical disorder, mental disorder, traumatic brain injury, cerebral vascular accidents, Huntington's disease, dementia, unmet demands and receiving bad news.Non-pharmacological interventions should be the mainstay of managing behavioural disturbances. Indeed many can be prevented by avoiding inappropriate medications.…”