Workplace Violence Case Study

The problem has led to poor quality care to patients, burnouts and high staff turnover among the nurses. Statistics indicate that 65%-80% of nurses face this challenge. Nurses who are affected by the violence extend the effects to those whom they closely work with for instance physicians and medical supervisors (Howe, 2001). However, the worst hit population is the patients because they will eventually pay for poor quality services they received. Some succumb to their ailments.

According to Purpora and Blegen, approximately 60% of actual errors in patient care result from poor and ineffective communication (para. 3). Horizontal violence causes a decrease in effective communication between caregivers which places the patient’s safety in jeopardy. Horizontal violence decreases staff morale which leaves room for error in the workplace (Longo & Smith, 2011).

Horizontal violence is a hidden pattern of individual behavior in controlling other individual that risk health and safety (Hinchberger, 2009). According to Roche, Duffield and Catling-Paull, violence can be describe as emotional abuse, threat, or actual violence in any health care setting. Although the definition varies according to situations and practice settings, there is agreement that workplace violence has a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of nurses and the delivery of quality nursing care (Hinchberger, 2009). Violence mostly occur in any health care setting, However, it mostly occur in emergency department, waiting room, psychiatric ward and geriatric unit on which people involved psychological situations.

Haley McCullian, human resources consultant, at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, is the author of this report. Her role is to identify the problems in the nursing field involving workplace violence in the emergency room. The purpose of this report is to educate the workforce on potential causes, effects, and theories revolving around the current organizational challenge. Workplace violence is a dangerous and complex occupational hazard in today’s health care work environment. It poses challenges for nurses and other health care employees, hospital administration, unions, and health care regulators. Violence from patients, visitors, and coworkers are often tolerated and explained as part of the job in the fast paced, stress filled healthcare care

Workplace violence (WPV) has been an increasing problem for many years, but it is hitting the healthcare profession hardest.(1) A crime survey done in 2014 by the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) found that violent crimes in the US healthcare system increased by 25% from 2012 to 2013.(2) Nearly 24,000 assaults in the work environment occur every year, with nearly 70-75% occurring to healthcare providers alone.(3, 4) Due to this increased risk of assault while working, healthcare workers are nearly 4 times as likely to need time off of work due to an injury caused by workplace violence than any other cause (i.e. illness, family leave, etc).(3) In a 2001 document from the United States Bureau of Justice, it was reported that 1.62% of physicians were assaulted (16.2 assaults per 1,000), 2.19% of nurses were assaulted (21.9 assaults per 1,000 nurses), and 0.85% of other healthcare workers (with varying job titles) were assaulted (8.5 assaults per 1,000 employees).(5) In 2011, the United States Bureau of Justice measured the workplace violence rate for nurses to be 3.9% (3.9 assaults per 1,000), almost doubling the numbers from 2001 in just 10 years.(1) The United States Bureau of Justice also reported that of the 100 fatalities that occurred in the workplace of healthcare and social service employees in 2013, 27 of the fatalities were due to violent attacks and assaults.(4)

Work mistreatment is linked to numerous adverse effects including nurse retention, job satisfaction, burn out, and emotional exhaustion, further study of the emotional work environment. This occurs in poor work environments. Poor work environments add a lot of harm to an organization. It is

OSHA Fact Sheet (2012) states “ workplace violence is a violence or the threat of violence against workers” (p.1). Workplace violence causes serious harm to employees or homicide that can lead to deaths. Act in any kind of shapes and forms such as: physical threat, threatening behavior, intention of assault and battery, verbal abuse, beating, stabbing, rape, shooting, being followed, psychological trauma, suicide, treat or obscene phone call/text, intimidation. Workplace violence can happen to anyone, anywhere at or outside the workplace location either during from/to work or from/to client’s traveling temporary or permanent where any work-related duty performances. It is not limited to just employees, but also customers, clients, and invitees. Workplace violence is one of the most concerns for not just employers, but worldwide workers.

Along with overflowing patients, the hospital ran out of supplies and sometimes had to steal equipment from other units. Even worse, certain nurses had to return to the hospital after finishing a 12-hour shift because of the lack of nurses, which goes along with the Bradley University’s article mentioning how overworked nurses impact the quality of care for patients negatively. From a different perspective, Ken Kesey explains how conflict towards nurses coming from trauma patients affects the staff. Often times, they are unprepared to deal with a situation such as a violent patient and can end up

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) describes workplace violence as any physical assault, intimidating behavior or verbal abuse transpiring in the workplace. Workplace violence in healthcare settings, more specifically patients violence towards nurses, has become quite common or even “accepted” throughout the years as sometimes patients express aggression toward those entrusted with providing their care. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2014 35% to 80% of hospital staff reported being victim of at least one assault during their career (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014). Furthermore, a study done by Gunaydin & Kutlu (2012) reported that fewer than 50% of nurses who were victims of patient violence reported their assault, as many believe it is common and that it “comes with the job.” (p. 5). According to the International Council of Nurses, “healthcare workers are more likely to be attacked at work than prison guards and police officers; Contributing factors include a patient’s mental or physical status, stress, environmental conditions such as overcrowded waiting rooms, poor communication with nurse and so on (ICN, 2010).

Emergency Room Nurses experience significantly higher risks of workplace violence compared to any other member of the multi disciplinary team (Waschgler, 2012). Multiple factors contribute to this risk, including working directly with stressed out people, people who have a history of violence, persons under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and persons with mental health issues, or persons under arrest. Healthcare workers, specifically nurses, have had a history of considering physical and verbal assaults part of the job. Becoming an Emergency Room nurse simply means you deal with the abuse (Droste, Miller, & Baker, 2014). Hospitals have had a history of tolerance for this behavior and varying levels of commitment to eliminate workplace violence.

Violence in the workplace continues to be a major concern and recently the concern has been growing by situations that have taken place. An assault, or threat of an assault, directed toward a worker on duty falls under the category of workplace violence. There are a lot of issues that can cause workplace violence. Stress, economic hardship and the inability to control anger are all some issues that can lead to health and safety issues. OSHA, as well as state and government agencies give practical guidelines to establish safe working environments, the role of a manager is very important in aiding in the prevention of workplace violence.

The expression of violence takes many forms, ranging from physical assault and verbal abuse to intimidation and low level threatening behavior. The term ‘violence at work’ applies to ‘any incident in which employees and others are abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances arising out of, or during work undertaken. This also includes employers, self-employed people and any other person who may be affected by a violent incident in the workplace. A violent incident is usually "sparked" by something that causes the employee in question to erupt. This is especially true if the individual is already feeling vulnerable or has low self-esteem. Behaviors of concern can be the beginning to greater levels of violence. Workplace violence is related

Violence can be defined as behavior which involves physical force with the intention to hurt, kill, or damage something or someone. It comes by way of emotional, sexual, physical, psychological, etc. Violence can also come in different types and in different venues in which many use to consider being safe such as a school or church. However there is one venue in which violence takes place both intentionally and unintentionally, it is the place many of us must report to daily to make an honest living and provide for ourselves and household(s). This place is none other than our workplace and in this place one could not even realize that it is happening to them due to no physical force is being presented. Workplace violence

When you think of workers’ compensation, workplace violence may not spring to mind. You may think about violence in the workplace only fleetingly when it’s splashed across the nightly news—as with the recent shootings of the two news station employees in Virginia.

Workplace Violence Workplace violence can be defined as any action that can threaten the safety of an employee, impact the employee's psychological or physical well being, or cause damage to a company's property. Workplace violence is not often talked about, but it does kill people. In the last decade it has become one of the leading causes of deaths in the workplace. The University of Iowa Prevention Center has broken down workplace violence into four categories.