Over 80% of Nurses Face Workplace Violence, Survey Finds

— “After the weapon occurrence we requested metal detectors to get in the medical facility,” states one nurse

by
Shannon FirthWashington Correspondent, MedPage Today
February 5, 2024

U.S. nurses reported a rise in office violence in post-pandemic times, according to a brand-new study from the country’s biggest nursing union.

In National Nurses United’s (NNU) survey of 914 nurses, 46% stated work environment violence had actually increased and 82% stated they had actually experienced a minimum of one kind of violence at work in 2023.

In addition, 68% of participants reported being verbally threatened, and more than a 3rd reported being physically threatened, slapped, punched or kicked, or having actually things tossed at them, according to the report.

Just 4% stated that work environment violence on their system had actually decreased in the previous year.

The study was carried out from January to December 2023 through e-mail, text, and in-person, eventually consisting of participants in 48 states and the District of Columbia. In overall, 80% operated in a medical facility setting, 9% in outpatient centers, 4% in homecare hospice, 4% in competent nursing or long-lasting care, and the rest operated in medical workplaces, were retired, or were presently not utilized as nurses.

In addition to the study, NNU performed focus groups in 7 states and took out examples of the violence seen by nurses in 2023.

“I have actually looked after our own staff members with damaged bones, concussions, bite marks, bicep tears,” stated one emergency situation department nurse in Colorado, who called attention to an absence of security steps in her department and sluggish action times from cops.

A nurse in California stated that post-pandemic, continued stringent visitation policies for COVID clients led relative to “snap” at personnel.

An Illinois-based nurse, on the other hand, stated a circumstances where a client brought a weapon into the center, regardless of guns not being permitted.

“After the weapon occurrence we requested for metal detectors to get in the health center,” the nurse stated. “We were notified by management it is not practical; expense expensive and we are down cops in the healthcare facility.”

As an outcome of these occurrences and others, almost two-thirds of the study participants stated they experienced “stress and anxiety, worry, or increased watchfulness,” while more than one-third thought about leaving the occupation, and almost one in 5 altered or left their tasks.

In general, 63% of companies offer training on office violence, according to the study participants. NNU argued that companies “continue to stop working” to secure nurses from office violence. Their information likewise revealed that just 32% of companies supply a clear method to report occurrences, and 30% have personnel, consisting of security, offered to react to occurrences of work environment violence.

“When companies stop working to securely staff systems, it increases the danger of work environment violence due to increased wait times, unmet client requirements, and increased tension and ethical distress of health care personnel,” according to an NNU news release

The report likewise highlighted that companies lose in regards to offering methods to reduce office violence, with 42% examining such events and 21% altering practice to help in reducing the danger of future occurrences. In overall, 29% of study participants stated that their companies reprimanded or blamed the staff members for the occurrences.

NNU President Jean Ross, REGISTERED NURSE, stated that “companies frequently focus on earnings over client care, consisting of office violence avoidance procedures like safe staffing, violence avoidance strategies, and training … NNU thinks that we require a nationwide enforceable OSHA [Occupational Health and Safety Administration] basic, as detailed in the Work Environment Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (S. 1176/H. R. 2663), to secure nurses, other health care employees, and clients from work environment violence.”