...JONA Volume 39, Number 7/8, pp 340-349 Copyright B 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins THE JOURNAL OF NURSING ADMINISTRATION Violence Against Nurses Working in US Emergency Departments Jessica Gacki-Smith, MPH Altair M. Juarez, MPH Lara Boyett, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC, CEN Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate emergency nurses’ experiences and perceptions of violence from patients and visitors in US emergency departments (EDs). Background: The ED is a particularly vulnerable setting for workplace violence, and because of a lack of standardized measurement and reporting mechanisms for violence in healthcare settings, data are scarce. Methods: Registered nurse members (n = 3,465) of the Emergency Nurses Association participated in this cross-sectional study by completing a 69-item survey. Results: Approximately 25% of respondents reported experiencing physical violence more than 20 times in the past 3 years, and almost 20% reported experiencing verbal abuse more than 200 times during the same period. Respondents who experienced frequent physical violence and/or frequent verbal abuse indicated fear of retaliation and lack of support from hospital administration and ED management as barriers to reporting workplace violence. Conclusion: Violence against ED nurses is highly prevalent. Precipitating factors to violent incidents identified by respondents is consistent with the research literature; however, there is considerable potential to mitigate...
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...Violence towards Nurses in the Health Care Sector We have all heard before of the abuse and violence that happen in nursing homes; but what we tend to hear more about is how nurses are abusing patients, those being patients that are older, disabled and coming closer to the end of their life span. Patients sometimes receive such negative abuse from nurses, this consists of physical abuse which is defined as any action with the intention to cause any physical or bodily harm to someone; for example this would include a nurse hitting or slapping a patient or even pushing them around. You often hear about nurses neglecting their patients, this is a deliberate action where nurses deprive the patients of what they need, this includes a nurse that purposely withholds a patient from eating, drinking or giving them their medication ("Abuse in Canada's Nursing Homes", 2012). It’s quite sad to see how this action takes place in nursing homes; a nursing home is a place for the elderly to go to because they can no longer take care of themselves and they need the assistance in their day to day activities. The nurses in long-term care facilities are there to provide residents with the care that they need and require, as they cannot do it themselves. Patients will often receive mental abuse from staff, that is, an act with the intention to cause any emotional harm to someone ("Abuse in Canada's Nursing Homes", 2012). You often hear about nurses yelling or threatening patients; this seems hard...
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...NICOLA BUTLER APRIL 2001 INTAKE MODULE NU1151 Violence and aggression WITH REGARDS TO A NURSING ISSUE OF YOUR CHOICE, DISCUSS THE RELEVANCE OF NURSING RESEARCH TO PRACTICE The nursing issue the author will be discussing with its relevance to nursing research in practice is violence and aggression. In order to understand the research in to the topic we must first define the word research. MaCleod Clark and Hockey cited in Smith and Hunt (1997) defined research as “an attempt to increase the body of knowledge, i.e. what is currently known about nursing by discovery of new facts and relationships trough a process of systematic enquiry.” Whereas others have defined research as “the acquisition of knowledge, which includes gaining information and illumination as well as translating it (research) directly into policy or practice” Department of Health (DOH) (1993) cited in Smith and Hunt (1997). Both definitions are linked by the fact that they are both trying to gain new facts and information to be able to change nursing practice for the better. Research in nursing has undergone many changes and developments over the years. It was Florence Nightingale who first started to research in order to improve the standard of nursing care given. “Her concepts have contributed to and are congruent with the present priorities of nursing research. Nightingale believed that the systematic collection and exploration of data were necessary for nursing”...
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...Running head: DIFFUSING ANGRY PATIENTS AND VIOLENCE 2 Assessing and Diffusing the Angry Patient to Prevent Workplace Violence The decline of manners is well noted in society with bullying rampant in the schools and a new breed of language such as “road rage”, going “postal” and “whacked” becoming accepted mainstream lingo. In service transactions, which do include nursing, rudeness is widespread where the customer (i.e., the patient) has the mentality that s/he is always right. Moreover, the healthcare setting, a place where one usually goes for necessities, not optional visits, is often scenes of chaos fraught with intense anxiety and nerves. Those moods and environment coupled together is a powder keg for violence; unfortunately, workplace violence for healthcare workers. Workplace violence (WPV) can take many forms, including verbal and emotional abuse; physical assault; threats of physical violence; bullying, unwanted sexual advances; and various forms of harassment (Chapman, Perry, Styles & Combs, 2009). According to the CDC, healthcare workers are four times more likely to be assaulted in the workplace than people who work in the private sector (Moz, 2009). Nurses are vulnerable to WPV given their occupation requirements and need to interact with patients. Of the various specialties of nursing, nurses who work in the emergency departments (ED), psychiatric units, and nursing homes, often encountered the greatest risk...
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...My Nursing Career Queen Mumuney American Sentinel University My Nursing Career American Nurse Association describes nursing as the protection, promotion and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through diagnosis and treatment of human response and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities and population (www.ana.org). Nursing is not a field for everyone. A good nurse must have ninety-five percent if not all of the following characteristic: sound knowledge and training, observant, patience, time management, people skills , documentation skills, critical thinking, empathy, detailed oriented, kind and firm, good judgment, multi task, physically and emotional stable, flexible and possess great communication skills. I am a currently a nurse manager that have been practicing nursing for 5 years. My hobby is taking care of people, which is the main reason why I decided to be a nurse. I realized that I had a flare for psychiatry when I started my psychiatric rotation. After graduation, I ended up working at the psychiatric facility. In less than a month after graduation, I became the charge nurse and later moved on to the nursing supervisor position. After two years of graduation, I was offered the nurse manager position. Communication is the number one barrier to treatment. I have listened to experienced colleague communicate and handle difficult situation with patients. I attended...
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...facility where I work is ineffective communication in the workplace. Ineffective communication in the nursing profession could potentially have a negative effect on nurses as well as the patients that are cared for on a daily basis. One example of ineffective communication that often comes to mind is in giving report from one unit to another. It is imperative to give a clear, concise report on your patient to others that may be involved in their care. So many times, when a patient is being transferred, report is called and given to one nurse. Many times the nurse who receives the report may not even be the nurse who will be caring for the patient. When this occurs, it is extremely easy for orders to be misunderstood, important parts of the patient’s history to be missed and allergies that are miscommunicated. Each of these points could end in a potentially life threatening situation for the patient. Ineffective communication can easily be contributed to by the workload of the nurses and physicians, the lack of time a nurse has to do his or her job and interruptions during the course of the shift. When these specific factors arise, the communication between physician and nurse as well as between nurse and patient begins to be burdened. When communication is burdened, patients ultimately lose. Certain orders do not get ordered, certain medications are not given, and patient requests are “lost” along the way to the nurse. Patient satisfaction and quality of care begins to diminish...
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...What is workplace violence? Workplace violence is violence or the threat of violence against workers. It can occur at or outside the workplace and can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide, one of the leading causes of job-related deaths. However it manifests itself, workplace violence is a growing concern for employers and employees nationwide. Who is vulnerable? Some 2 million American workers are victims of workplace violence each year. Workplace violence can strike anywhere, and no one is immune. Some workers, however, are at increased risk. Among them are workers who exchange money with the public; deliver passengers, goods, or services; or work alone or in small groups, during late night or early morning hours, in high-crime areas, or in community settings and homes where they have extensive contact with the public. This group includes health-care and social service workers such as visiting nurses, psychiatric evaluators, and probation officers; community workers such as gas and water utility employees, phone and cable TV installers, and letter carriers; retail workers; and taxi drivers. what to do if they witness or are subjected to workplace violence, and how to protect themselves. s Secure the workplace. Where appropriate to the business, install video surveillance, extra lighting, and alarm systems and minimize access by outsiders through identification badges, electronic keys, and guards. s ...
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...Paper 3 - Victims of Bullying, Mental Health, and Nursing Victims of bullying are at a high risk of developing various types of mental illnesses, and the evidence on this topic in the research literature can be used to inform psychiatric nursing practice. The available studies on mental health and its connection to bullying victims shows that preventing mental illness and promoting mental health involves a comprehensive approach, using combination of techniques that must be implemented by many stakeholders. The information that comes from these studies suggests that psychiatric nursing must take research findings into account. It also suggests that nurses have a definite role to play in terms of providing direct patient care, referring the patient to other helpful medical and community resources, offering education to the patient and family, and providing follow-up care. Specific interventions based on this evidence could also be adopted by Registered Nurses (RNs) after they graduate. Literature Review There is a wealth of literature available on the subject of bullying. This literature demonstrates that there is a clear link between bullying victimization and many types of mental health issues. However, it also suggests ways that mental health could be promoted among this population, and how rehabilitation could be administered. Studies have shown that bullying victims are at a higher risk for certain types of mental illness, and that issues of symptom severity, compared...
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...Nurse Education in Practice (2007) 7, 26–35 Nurse Education in Practice www.elsevierhealth.com/journals/nepr Exploring bullying: Implications for nurse educators Sharon L. Edwards a a,* , Claire Frances O’Connell b Department of Pre-registration, Nursing Faculty of Health Studies, Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, Chalfont Campus, Newland Park, Gorelands Lane, Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire HP8 4AD, United Kingdom b Green Lawns, Kilmona Grenagh Co., Cork, Republic of Ireland Accepted 27 March 2006 KEYWORDS Bullying; Violence; NHS; Higher education; Nurse education Summary This article examines briefly the issue of workplace violence and bullying in the hospital environment, but more importantly how the same and different styles of bullying and intra-staff bullying are emerging in nurse education. The content describes the aetiology of violence and bullying and their place in the National Health Service (NHS) including nursing. It explores bullying as the principle form of intimidation in nurse education, the different types and subtle forms of bullying, why individuals become bullies, dealing with and the consequences of bullying. The legislation, guidelines, policies are part of the recommendations for practice. c 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction In modern day society, it could be argued that violence and aggression is a common aspect of daily life. Violence and abuse within the hospital setting occurs...
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...document provides you with a clear structure by which to achieve this. 1. Outline the implementation of your personal action plan for improving your leadership capabilities I currently work as the Clinical Team Lead in a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit for an NHS Foundation Trust. Working in restrictive, structured, secure environment can be daunting and frustrating for patients who are admitted, due to a combination of the intensity of their mental illness, behaviours derived from this level of intensity and the constraints caused by the environment. This frustration can at times be displayed in a violent manner and directed towards nursing staff and their peers. It was identified through various discussions with the patients, staff and the Manager that both patients and staff were frustrated and both parties had different views towards reasons of violent and aggressive behaviour (appendix 1 and 2). Staff believed it was the patient’s internal views and presentation that led to an aggressive outburst, while the patient reported environmental and poor communication to be the contributing factor. Whittington and Duxbury (2005, p 469) identified environmental conditions and poor communication to be at the forefront of patient aggression and violence incidents and that there is a need to explore the view of the ‘aggressor’ in order to fully understand the nature of the problem and deal with it effectively. Through discussion with the Manager and the nursing team an agreed...
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...# 01 Worksheet Workplace Violence Version 1.0: 07 Jun 2013 Presented by: Hossam Bashir I. Problem Definition: Workplace violence is violence or the threat of violence against workers. It can range from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and homicide, one of the leading causes of job-related deaths. However it manifests itself, workplace violence is a growing concern for employers and employees nationwide, representing a real challenge for employers to provide a safe working environement for employees. According to specialists, workplace violence falls into four broad categories: TYPE 1: Violent acts by criminals who have no other connection with the workplace, but enter to commit robbery or another crime. TYPE 2: Violence directed at employees by customers, clients, patients, students, inmates, or any others for whom an organization provides services. TYPE 3: Violence against coworkers, supervisors, or managers by a present or former employee. TYPE 4: Violence committed in the workplace by someone who doesn’t work there, but has a personal relationship with an employee—an abusive spouse or domestic partner. II. Justification to Problem Definition: Statistical data and reports proivde a clear evidence that workplace violence is a growing threat nationwide. * According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18,104 assaults and 609 homicides occurred at workplaces throughout the United States in 2002. Such violence prompted the Centers...
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...Preparing Organizations for Strategic Change (Option 1) HCS/320 March 13, 2014 Mark Bradbury Introduction Leadership and communication are integral to the functioning of any well-oiled organization. Leadership is comprised of a few different styles that are used in various situations to determine the effectiveness of the team. Motivational theories are an influential part of modern day organizational culture. There are also a few leadership tactics and techniques that are ideal for effectiveness in the workplace. Leadership is defined as having a, “capacity to lead” (Merriam-Webster, 2011). Communication is best defined by Merriam-Webster (2011) as “information transmitted or conveyed”. Leadership is a combination of learned and inherited traits and techniques. Most effective leadership is based on situational factors, but there are styles to leadership which help define its effectiveness in the organization. In order for hospital management to implement change within the healthcare we have to be confident leaders and be able to communicate to our employees what we know will benefit us as an organization. At Evans Army Community Hospital we are suggesting an integration of Behavioral Health Teams that are embedded within the Soldier’s Units and also embedded within each clinic. How this health care communication process might be updated, streamlined, or implemented The Embedded Behavioral Health...
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...School of Law Master in Jurisprudence in Health Law Dr. Blauhard's story… The Chief of Vascular surgery, Dr. Blauhard,, strode confidently down the central corridor of the operating theaters. Passing the open heart surgery rooms and the new hybrid theater he knew that his patient would be going to sleep in room 12, his room. The patient was lucky to have him as her surgeon. He had been vice-chairman of vascular surgery at a major university and had published extensively in his chosen field. He was viewed as a star. But he was not respected or revered or even liked by the staff at his new hospital. In fact, his behavior at the new hospital had been outrageous. He yelled. He criticized. He threw instruments. He humiliated nurses and technicians and even environmental services workers. He was insufferable to work with and for. So as he pushed through the doors into operating room 12 a sudden quiet fell and bodies tensed. The patient, scheduled for a popliteal aneurysm repair was fast asleep and intubated, sleeping deeply inhaling the agents that allowed the surgeons to invade and repair. The aneurysm pulsed quietly in the right leg, awaiting repair. The right leg was clearly marked across the front of the knee. But prior to prepping, the patient was rolled from the supine position into the prone position, effectively shifting the right leg to the left side of the operating table. As such, and with no one saying anything, the left leg was prepped and draped...
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...A Phenomenological study describing the lived experience of nurses caring for prisoner-patients by Christopher Veal i A Phenomenological study describing the lived experience of nurses caring for prisoner-patients ABSTRACT There are close to five thousand prisoners in custody in Queensland prisons and this number is on the increase. Prisoners have complex health needs and it is the role of the correctional health nurse to care for prisoner-patients and their health needs. Yet there is a paucity of research surrounding this topic. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experience of nurses caring for prisoner-patients. Five registered nurses, employed in correctional centres in Southeast Queensland were interviewed to illuminate the experience of caring for prisoner-patients. Data was analyzed using Colaizzi’s (1978) method of phenomenology. Textual analysis revealed two themes with five corresponding sub-themes that depicted the meaning of nurses’ caring for prisonerpatients. The experience of nurses caring for prisoner-patients was described by nurse participants as ‘obstructive practices’ from the custodial officers, ‘decreased standards of care’ by nursing staff, ‘prejudice’ towards to prisoners, ‘increased level of mentally ill prisoners’ and a ‘lack of recognition’ for nurses working in the prisons. Amidst all these difficulties, nurses who cared for prisoner-patients demonstrated courage in the work they did and persevered...
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...career 3 9 10 Working in the NHS What’s your next step? 12 16 2 Health visiting www.nhscareers.nhs.uk Foreword A career in health visiting offers the opportunity to work in an environment that is interesting, rewarding and challenging. Health visitors are specially trained public health nurses who play a crucial role in the healthcare team. As a health visitor you work in the community to improve the health and well-being of families and children. To train as a health visitor, you need to be a nurse or midwife. Some nurses and midwives train immediately after qualifying while others wait until they’ve gained some experience. There are few professions that offer the job satisfaction you get from health visiting. So, if you’ve got an interest in improving public health and helping children get off to the best possible start, you’ll find health visiting an incredibly rewarding career. www.nhscareers.nhs.uk Health visiting 3 Being a health visitor Health visitors are specially trained public health nurses working in the community to design and deliver care for families and communities. It is a diverse and satisfying role that involves building relationships with families. It suits nurses and midwives with an interest in health promotion, public health and working in the community. A growing body of evidence – from neuroscience to public health – underlines the importance of good healthcare in the first few years of a person’s life. Therefore, as lead healthcare professionals...
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