The issues of stress caused by workplace violence in nursing practice require special consideration because of their direct relation to the effectiveness of employees’ efforts and the quality of health care services. The main sources of nurses’ professional hazards include both internal (patients and co-workers) and external (robbers or terrorists) factors. The development of workplace violence protection programs for the health care environment is possible only on the condition of uniting efforts of occupational safety organizations, professional associations, and legislators as well as the involvement of all individual nurses.
Workplace violence can be defined as any physical or verbal assault, taking place in the working environment. It can range from verbal harassment to aggressive behavior and even murder. Within the previous decade, the issues of workplace violence have become especially topical for the healthcare sphere. Fortunately, I had no experience of physical assault in my nursing practice, but some older colleagues told me about their incidents of workplace violence.
Thus, understaffing during meals time and periods of increased activity as well as isolation from the rest of the staff is associated with the increased risk of occupational violence. The current legislation acts, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAHO), professional associations and scientific community are the key factors that play an important role in alleviating the problem.
One of the hindrances for the development of a risk management program is lack of statistical data as to the occupational violence incidents and employees’ unwillingness to register the cases because of their fear to lose the working places. Actually, the problem of the high risk of workplace violence in health care is acknowledged but more measures need to be imposed for handling it. Thus, control strategies may include administrative, engineering and training procedures aimed at improving the existing state of affairs and lowering the risk of becoming a victim of assaultive behavior of patients or visitors. “For example, improved change of shift communication became a control strategy in one mental health facility, and new personal alarms systems were a control strategy in a different facility” (McPaul & Lipscomb, 2004).
In the majority of hospital and clinical settings, the issues of risk management are taken seriously. Still, more training is required for raising the nurses’ awareness of their rights and procedures for preventing or registering workplace violence incidents. “Effective management of worker safety and health protection is a decisive factor in reducing the extent and severity of work-related injuries and illnesses and their related costs” (Guidelines for preventing workplace violence for health care and social service workers).
Developing a risk management program for a particular hospital or clinical setting, managers should put emphasis on its educational purpose and measures for optimizing the working processes. Thus, employers should consider the available consultation services with the aim of educating their workers and influencing their views. Other important elements of the action plan are Voluntary Protection, Strategic Partnership and Alliance Programs. Besides changing nurses’ attitudes towards registering workplace violence incidents, employers should impose appropriate preventative measures for reducing risks, such as improving the control of visitors and employees’ shifts during the most active periods, for example.
The hazards of potential workplace violence have a significant impact on nurses’ satisfaction and involvement as well the quality of health care services. Appropriate measures need to be imposed for reducing risks in all hospital and clinical settings and enhancing workers’ awareness of risk management issues.
Reference List
Guidelines for preventing workplace violence for health care and social service workers. Web.
McPaul, K.M. & Lipscomb, J.A. (2004). Workplace violence in Health Care: Recognized but not regulated. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 9 (3). Web.