Nurse leaders and managers should develop strategies to address practice issues that emerge in their organizations and affect the delivery of quality patient-centered care. Workplace violence in nursing is a critical safety issue that affects nurses based on available data. The World Health Organization (WHO) observes that between 8 and 38 % of nurses suffer from healthcare-related violence at some point in their career (Kirton, 2023). Kotti et al. (2022) observe that workplace violence (WPV) is so prevalent in healthcare settings across the world with nurses suffering the most from this vice. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and suggest various approaches nursing leaders and managers can use in addressing workplace violence (WPV) in their practice setting.
In their narrative review on workplace violence, Kafle et al. (2022) advance that incidents involving abuse, threats, or assault in situations related to work, including commuting to and from work, entail explicit and implicit challenges to nurses’ safety, well-being, and health constitute workplace violence (WPV). Healthcare workers have increased chances and risks of getting physical, sexual, or psychological injuries and abuse in their workplace (Kirton, 2023). Again, WPV is categorized into two main areas: physical and psychological, and includes racial abuse, bullying, verbal abuse, and mobbing. In their study, Bernardes et al. (2020) assert that nurses encounter violence from patients and their families, colleagues, and supervisors. The study notes that the types of violence prevalent include physical aggression, verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and racial discrimination. However, verbal abuse remains the most commonly reported.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) (2023) observes that healthcare and social services workers are five times more likely to suffer workplace violence injury or harm than all workers. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that one in every four nurses reported being physically abused. Jones et al. (2023) observe that 73% of all nonfatal workplace violence-associated injuries came from healthcare workers. The study notes that even with a high reported prevalence, many nurses do not report these violent incidents, a situation that exacerbates the problem. The COVID-19 pandemic also exacerbated the situation due to pressures from patients and families as they sought services while nurses had to grapple with increased pressure for care demands.
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Workplace violence against nurses impacts the quality of care in the practice setting where it occurs. Nurses exposed to WPV suffer physical and psychological abuse that impacts their job satisfaction levels (Mobaraki et al., 2022). The violence also increases the motivation to leave work leading to nurse turnover and staff shortage. According to ANA, hazardous situations impair effective care delivery. Unsafe workplaces cause nurses to experience psychological distress and absenteeism. Jones et al. (2023) note that annual turnover rates associated with workplace violence account for between 15% and 36%. The implication is that WPV increases the cost of care, leads to staff turnover, and impairs the overall quality of patient care.
Workplace violence is a serious issue that affects nurses and leads to adverse effects as demonstrated through research. Developing solutions to the problem is critical, especially to mitigate its adverse effects. Existing studies demonstrate that one solution approach is not feasible and leaders in organizations should implement multiple interventions concurrently to address the problem (Kirton, 2023). However, training and application of evidence-based strategies is a solution that can help organizations and leaders mitigate the problem of WPV against nurses. Training will ensure that nurses understand signs of violence and devise ways to respond to such incidents. Jones et al. (2023) assert that training leads to better confidence and improves communication skills among nurses. As such, nurses get the confidence to report such incidents to their leaders and managers. Through training on evidence-based strategies to address violence, nurses interact with leaders and implore them to take necessary steps in addressing barriers to reporting WPV incidents. Reporting improves understanding and encourages developing ways to address the incident and prevent associated aspects (Beeber et al., 2023). Reporting violent
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