[Workplace Violence Against Nurses in Northern Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study].

BACKGROUND

Nurses comprise a group in the healthcare team that is exposed to the highest levels of workplace violence. This not only causes negative emotions in nurses and adversely impacts the institution and the body and spirit of the nurses but also affects the quality of nursing care.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of physical and psychological workplace violence experienced by the nursing staff and to identify the perpetrators of violence, the reactions of the victims, and the policies developed by employers to prevent violence.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted using a stratified sampling method across different levels of healthcare institutions on the nursing personnel registered with the Taipei Nurses Association. The number of subjects was allocated according to hospital level. A total of 2,931 subjects were recruited, of whom 2,627 participated in this study.

RESULTS

Over two-thirds (70.6% ) of participants had experienced workplace violence, of whom 31.0% had experienced physical violence and 66.0% had experienced psychological violence. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that nurses who were married, who had less than one year of work experience, or were over 50 years of age were at lower risk of physical and psychological violence. Those who had a university education or higher faced a higher risk of psychological violence. The most common perpetrators were identified as patients. The aftermath reactions from the victims were varied, with the most prevalent being "telling the perpetrator to stop the violence", "telling friends or family," and "reporting the incident to a senior staff member". The perpetrators were mostly dealt with using a verbal warning, while the second-most common strategy was taking no action. Only 2.3% ‡6.8% of the victims notified the authorities about the violence because of the following primary reasons: "useless," "not important," and "fear of negative consequences." The major strategies that were adopted by employers to prevent violence included "security measures," "improvement of surroundings," and "training."

CONCLUSIONS

Prevention of violence must be improved comprehensively using the strategies of physical facilities, management, education, and policies.