Violence in nursing
Tuesday, September 14, 2021 6:33 PM
• Lecture Objectives:
○ Students will:
○ Have an understanding of the nature and scope of violence in nursing
○ Learn skills and strategies for preventing and responding to workplace violence.
○ Identify behavioral warning signs for violence in individuals
○ Learn how workplace administration organization, individuals, social culture, and
environment impact workplace violence
Violence in Nursing
• Slide 3 -
○ In our Huston textbook, Hockley (2017) is a chapter author.
○ Hockley’s research has shown that violence in nursing has a potential to occur with
patients, other health professionals, visitors, or complete strangers in any
environment from work to home. So basically violence can occur in any type of
position in nursing. It most frequently happens in the Emergency department but
can be found anywhere.
• Slide 4 -
○ This is a definition of workplace aggression:
§ “Workplace aggression can be defined as …Incidents where staff are abused,
threatened or assaulted in circumstances related to their work, including
commuting to and from work, involving an explicit or implicit challenge to
their safety, well-being or health”(Wynne et al., 1997 as cited in Heckmann e
al., 2015, p. 212).
• Slide 5 –
○ Hockley (2017) stated that violence in nursing is referred to as bullying, horizontal
lateral violence, incivility, and mobbing (p. 149).
• Slide 6 –
○ Heckmann et al. (2015) stated that violence in nursing was a global issue, and it is
mounting problem …surmountably across the world.
○ Heckmann et al. (2015) in this study went through nine databases and narrowed
down to nine studies (of these nine studies five were done in nursing schools)
showed that aggression management training programs have improved outcomes
for nurses and nursing students in acute care hospitals.
, • Slide 7 –
○ study by Hopkins, Fetherston, and Morrison (2014) that stated that violence occurs
with nursing students in clinical areas. The studies over the last two decades have
shown that they “may be at a higher risk than other healthcare professionals”
(Hopkins et al., 2014, p. 113).
○ The reason they found that they were at higher risk was because of their
inexperience in detecting and handling of aggression….just not enough experience
as someone who is more seasoned. This article also stated that seasoned nurses
that have extensive training could also appear very confident and also that doesn’t
always make them safe with their training. So everyone has to be on alert for these
problematic areas and people.
• Slide 8 –
○ Hopkins et al. was in (2014) and this was in Western Australia University. They
chose 154 randomly selected nursing students on what their experiences were
about physical violence in clinical areas.
§ reported 45% of students felt at risk of physical violence sometimes, often, o
all the time.
§ This violence predominantly came from patients not so much other nurses b
that was an important aspect of this study (Hopkins et al., 2014).
§ They are showing at the end of this that more research is needed in this area
and training for students.
• Slide 9 –
○ covering some studies from Joint Commission (2016) and Huston book on bullying…
§ studies shown that female nurses have greater acts of violence against them
than male nurses. All nurses are effected but this was significant that female
were more than the other (Hockley, 2017; Joint Commission, 2016).
§ Joint Commission (2016), also, stated that usually this bullying was deliberate
and they wanted control of their victim. You only have to perceive this event
as a hostile act for it to be considered bullying according the Joint
Commission.
§ Joint Commission, also, said that bullies usually target those who have little t
no support… so you are looking at why nursing students with their
inexperience and lack confidence that you would be more of a target.
• Slide 10 -
○ Joint Commission (2016) put out a report that was done by the Occupational Safet
and Health Administration, which is OSHA. This was violence that occurred in a
seven day period – mind you this is over a seven day period. Showed the following
results:
Tuesday, September 14, 2021 6:33 PM
• Lecture Objectives:
○ Students will:
○ Have an understanding of the nature and scope of violence in nursing
○ Learn skills and strategies for preventing and responding to workplace violence.
○ Identify behavioral warning signs for violence in individuals
○ Learn how workplace administration organization, individuals, social culture, and
environment impact workplace violence
Violence in Nursing
• Slide 3 -
○ In our Huston textbook, Hockley (2017) is a chapter author.
○ Hockley’s research has shown that violence in nursing has a potential to occur with
patients, other health professionals, visitors, or complete strangers in any
environment from work to home. So basically violence can occur in any type of
position in nursing. It most frequently happens in the Emergency department but
can be found anywhere.
• Slide 4 -
○ This is a definition of workplace aggression:
§ “Workplace aggression can be defined as …Incidents where staff are abused,
threatened or assaulted in circumstances related to their work, including
commuting to and from work, involving an explicit or implicit challenge to
their safety, well-being or health”(Wynne et al., 1997 as cited in Heckmann e
al., 2015, p. 212).
• Slide 5 –
○ Hockley (2017) stated that violence in nursing is referred to as bullying, horizontal
lateral violence, incivility, and mobbing (p. 149).
• Slide 6 –
○ Heckmann et al. (2015) stated that violence in nursing was a global issue, and it is
mounting problem …surmountably across the world.
○ Heckmann et al. (2015) in this study went through nine databases and narrowed
down to nine studies (of these nine studies five were done in nursing schools)
showed that aggression management training programs have improved outcomes
for nurses and nursing students in acute care hospitals.
, • Slide 7 –
○ study by Hopkins, Fetherston, and Morrison (2014) that stated that violence occurs
with nursing students in clinical areas. The studies over the last two decades have
shown that they “may be at a higher risk than other healthcare professionals”
(Hopkins et al., 2014, p. 113).
○ The reason they found that they were at higher risk was because of their
inexperience in detecting and handling of aggression….just not enough experience
as someone who is more seasoned. This article also stated that seasoned nurses
that have extensive training could also appear very confident and also that doesn’t
always make them safe with their training. So everyone has to be on alert for these
problematic areas and people.
• Slide 8 –
○ Hopkins et al. was in (2014) and this was in Western Australia University. They
chose 154 randomly selected nursing students on what their experiences were
about physical violence in clinical areas.
§ reported 45% of students felt at risk of physical violence sometimes, often, o
all the time.
§ This violence predominantly came from patients not so much other nurses b
that was an important aspect of this study (Hopkins et al., 2014).
§ They are showing at the end of this that more research is needed in this area
and training for students.
• Slide 9 –
○ covering some studies from Joint Commission (2016) and Huston book on bullying…
§ studies shown that female nurses have greater acts of violence against them
than male nurses. All nurses are effected but this was significant that female
were more than the other (Hockley, 2017; Joint Commission, 2016).
§ Joint Commission (2016), also, stated that usually this bullying was deliberate
and they wanted control of their victim. You only have to perceive this event
as a hostile act for it to be considered bullying according the Joint
Commission.
§ Joint Commission, also, said that bullies usually target those who have little t
no support… so you are looking at why nursing students with their
inexperience and lack confidence that you would be more of a target.
• Slide 10 -
○ Joint Commission (2016) put out a report that was done by the Occupational Safet
and Health Administration, which is OSHA. This was violence that occurred in a
seven day period – mind you this is over a seven day period. Showed the following
results:
