Study: Factors related to on-the-job abuse of nurses by patients

Factors associated with abuse

In past research, the reasons that were proposed for higher risk of abuse among male nurses included greater exposure to violent patient and a tendency for male nurses to feel protective of female staff and to assume the primary role in restraining aggressive patients. 

The length of time that the nurses had been working was also a factor associated with abuse. Nurses with less than five years’ experience, 42% reported physical assault, compared with less than a third of those who had been in nursing for at least 20 years.  Those with more years of experience tended to report lower percentages of emotional abuse.

Licensed practical nurses and registered psychiatric nurses were more likely than registered nurses to report abuse.  Registered psychiatric nurses were particularly at risk, with 47% reporting physical assault and 72% reporting emotional abuse. 

Nurses who worked evening, night or mixed shifts and those who worked at 12-hour shift were more likely to report emotional and physical abuse than those working only day shifts. 

Depending on the clinical area of practice there were different percentages of abuse reported.

Nurses working in geriatrics/long-term care reported high rates of physical assault (50%), palliative care (47%), psychiatry/mental health (44%), critical care (44%), and the emergency room (42%). 

“Emotional abuse was more common among nurses working in psychiatry/mental health (70%), the emergency room (69%), critical care (54%), medicine/surgery (52%) or geriatrics/long-term care (49%).�

The Workplace Climate

There are four important workplace climate factors that were associated with physical assault and emotional abuse of nurses by patients:  adequacy of staffing and resources; nurse-physician working relations; support from supervisors: and support from co-workers.

Reports of physical assault or emotional abuse tended to be high in places where there were not enough staff members and resources, relations with physicians were undesirable, low supervisor support, or lack of support from colleagues.

Approximately half of the nurses thought that there were not enough nurses on staff to provide quality patient care (56%), or enough to get the work done (52%).  Almost half of the nurses believed that support services did not allow them time to spend with patients, and 43% said that there was not enough time and opportunity to discuss patient care. 

About 46% reported that they were exposed to hostility or conflict from co -workers.   A lower percentage of nurses (28%) reported that their supervisor was not helpful in getting the job done. 

“A lack of teamwork between nurses and physicians was reported by 19% of nurses, and a lack of collaboration, by 11%, while 13% disagreed that physicians and nurses had good working relations.�

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Posted by: suhujitha on 2009-04-22 15:57:52

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