Workplace Violence In Health Care

If those who witness horizontal violence taking place or if the nurse being targeted does not speak up, it can keep occurring until the situation starts to have a negative impact on the targeted nurse. The effects can start to show up in the nurse’s work and in patient satisfaction. It can also lead to the nurse leaving their hospital for a new hospital to work for and it can even lead to the nurse leaving the nursing profession for good. Some nurses deal with this type of stress by seeing it as a challenge that they must endure in order to be become hardy and resilient

Excellent discussion on workplace violence in the health care setting. When this writer finished nursing school approximately nine years ago, the thought of being assaulted or abused by the patient or family member did not cross this writer mind. Most people think of nurses as being the most nurturing, caring indivdiual, whom assist the patient with restoring their health. Society has shifted in a direction within the current health care industry and there is not a level of respect being demonstrated towards the health care professional. This can create a barrier with building a therapeutic and effective nurse to patient relationship. When this wall has been established due to workplace violence resulting from the patient and family,

Safety is an important factor and is a high priority in healthcare. Kelly, Fenwick, Brekke, and Novaco (2015) shared that workplace violence impairs the staff perceptions of safety. However, both patients and staff are affected by workplace violence in many ways, from physical to emotional aspects. There are many reasons why violence occurs, that will be explained later in this paper. The purpose of this paper is to explain the reason and importance of the chosen phenomenon of interest. Moreover, primary and opposing philosophic viewpoints will be discussed, as well as ways of recognizing and utilizing them in nursing. The ways of knowing patterns in nursing and the utilization of these patterns will be explained, pertaining to nursing care.

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.

Literature that investigates the rates of lateral violence has confirmed that LV has been and currently still is prevalent in the nursing profession. A survey taken during the Upstate AHEC Lateral Violence Among Nurses Project by Jacobs and Kyzer (2010) revealed that 93 percent of nurses have witnessed lateral violence among coworkers, while 85 percent have been a victim of lateral violence. As can be seen by these percentages, lateral violence in nursing is very real and affects many of those who are identified as a nurse. Although these statistics are informative, it is critical to remember that they do not capture all incidents of LV in the nursing profession. Since these statistics come from reported incidents of lateral violence in nursing, there may be additional incidents that were not reported. Therefore, the rates of

Furthermore, this issue of lateral violence is not new to nursing. For the past 20 years,

Workplace violence is the main issue in the United States expressed influencing a large number of American consistently. Working environment violence is any demonstration or danger of physical savagery, provocation, terrorizing, or other undermining problematic conduct that happens at the work site. It ranges from dangers and verbal mishandle to physical ambushes and even murder. It can influence and include workers, customers, nurses, patient, clients, and guests. Workplace violence can be discovered anywhere in every field we may accept the fact that it can happen in our workplace too, but the fewer people speak which is encouraging these criminals to prepare of making more atrocity. The occupational safety and health organization (OSHA) have created rules and suggestions to decrease laborer presentation to this deplorable scourge but still many people are being victimized their hands are tied up mouths are taped out to face the reality of what they are living through (OSHA 2015). OSHA’s paradigm incorporates the following elements: management commitment and employee involvement, hazard analysis or assessment, hazard controls, employee training, and recordkeeping and evaluation (McPhaul, London, & Lipscomb, 2013). As mentioned, these elements are basic guidelines in constructing a program, but more specific measures are needed to address specific precursors that contribute to the occurrence of violence and bullying. This would assist in forming the best strategies to remedy workplace violence and incivility.

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.

In 3 articles, survivors of healthcare worker directed violence admitted to knowingly spending less time with their patients after the attack.(8, 12, 16) Quality of care is also reduced as survivors admit to being fearful of their patients as well as being reluctant to care for specific patients or any patients at all.(8, 17, 19, 25) After an incident of workplace violence, survivors stated that they have decreased communication with their patients, patient families, and coworkers.(12, 27) Survivors also admitted to having reduced interest in being a part of patient care, as well as being in their current position.(8, 12, 14, 19) One article found that physiotherapists often reduced their expectations for their patients after experiencing an incidence of workplace violence from a patient.(8) Survivors also found that they had reduced empathy and gave reduced emotional support to patients and their families after returning to work.(15) After an attack by a patient, survivors admitted to lacking concentration that led to missed medication administration, increased falls, and increased errors in administration of care.(10, 15, 17, 27)

Moreover, another type of violence which nurses experience is horizontal violence. Horizontal violence is described as “hostile, aggressive, and harmful behavior by a nurse or group of nurses toward a co-worker or group of nurses via attitudes, actions, words, and behaviors” (Becher & Visovsky, 2012, p. 210). Horizontal violence not only involves nurse-nurse violence but includes nurse-physician and nurse-supervisor violence. The perpetrator displays behaviors associated with horizontal violence which may include refusing to lend assistance, criticizing, intimidation, gossiping, name-calling, and ignoring (Becher & Visovsky, 2012). The American Nurses Association sets the expectations for nursing standards. According to the American Nurses

The goal of this research was to determine the impact that the implementation of a workplace violence presentation program had on violence rates in the VA health care system. Over the years, the Veterans Health Care Administration has implemented many strategies to make work environments safer, including a workplace violence prevention program. Using their previously set-up reporting system, researchers were able to determine the number of assaults in the past 6 fiscal years (2003-2009) as well as the current rates of assault in their facilities. Using an evaluation team of three members from each

Horizontal or lateral violence has been described broadly as any unwanted abuse or hostility within the workplace (Stanley, Martin, Nemeth, Michel, & Welton, 2007). Horizontal violence (HV) in nursing is a huge problem within the nurses in health care system especially with the new graduates as new nurses. It is often unreported and unresolved which leads to a toxic working environment for the nurses. Horizontal violence contributes to decreased patient safety because of poor communication amongst the nurses, increased turnover rates and job dissatisfaction. Horizontal violence will continue to persist if nurses’ do not stand up for themselves and speak up on it.

Sustained exposure to violence in the workplace including aggression, abuse, and bullying can have serious physical and psychological consequences, causing some nurses to consider leaving the profession. Workplace violence, including disruptive physician behaviour, also results in decreased patient safety. Clearly, violence against nurses is an important issue among nurses, their patients and the nursing profession at large ( RNAO, iaBPGR, 2009 p.30). Likewise, the ICN report revealed that 75 per cent of nurses do not feel safe from assault in their workplace and up to 95 per cent reported having been bullied at work ( ICN,2001.p. 3).

Nurses continually strive to bring holistic, efficient, and safe care to their patients. However, if the safety and well-being of the nurses are threatened or compromised, it is difficult for nurses to work effectively and efficiently. Therefore, the position of the American Nurses Association (ANA) advocate that every nursing professional have the right to work in a healthy work environment free of abusive behavior such as bullying, hostility, lateral abuse and violence, sexual harassment, intimidation, abuse of authority and position and reprisal for speaking out against abuses (American Nurses Association, 2012).

Workplace violence is a serious issue in all workplace settings in the United States, health care included. It is unfortunate that places that offer services to help better people’s health and lives are also places that experience terrifying life-threatening situations, but this is sadly the case. Between the years of 2000 and 2011, there were 154 documented, hospital-related shooting events in 148 hospitals across the nation that affected 253 victims (Kelen, Catlett, Kubut, & Hsieh, 2012). Not only is workplace violence physically harmful to the health care staff and patients, but it also causes emotional harm. According to Blando, O’Hagan, Casteel, Nocera, and Peek-Asa, “Potential for violence affects nurse performance,