By: Aqeela Sarwar
Abstract:
The problem of workplace violence is not new for us. It has been prevailing since long. Violence against nurses is a complicated problem mostly faced by nurses as nurses are the first line manager to deal with patients. Following workplace violence nurses face many physical and psychological consequences. The present study is conducted to assess nurses knowledge about workplace violence and its impacts of nurses behavior, patient care and nurses level of work. Like other professionals nurses also have the right of safe working environment. Nurses have sound knowledge about workplace violence and they also know its impact on patient care. It decreases nurses work efficiency leading to errors and decreased level of care. Workplace violence has been discussed multiple times but still we could not brought it to end. Its need of the time to take steps for its prevention in order to improve not only the patient’s level of health but also nurses’ job satisfaction and improve their work performance and organizational efficiency.
Introduction:
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defines workplace violence as violent acts directed toward persons at work or on duty. Workplace violence is any physical assault, threatening behavior, or verbal abuse occurring in the work setting.
Violence against nurses is a complicted and continued job-related danger faced by the nursing profession. This violence include threats, annoyance, irritation, beating, stabbings, killing, and many other forms. Nurses are among the most battered workers in the American employees. Emotional outcomes of violence can be dread, stress, grief, sadness, disappointment, doubt, and apprehension. This can negatively affect nurse’ protection. (Sharma.R.K et.al, 2016)
According to the International Labour Office (ILO) report, nurses are more liable to violence. Nurses have more interaction with people suffering from all types of pain, agony, and life-changing events. Workplace violence to nurses can cause decrease in attention, not following ethical guiding principles, doing errors, , absenteeism, decrease in job pleasure, hating the job, and denial to work in tense wards. As a result of workplace violence a nurse may prefer to be shuffled to another work setting and can also think about quitting job which is not cost effective for organisation. Moreover, workplace violence can result in decreased organizational efficacy specially in rising states. (Fute. M, et al. 2015)
Literature Review:
Workplace violence can become component of nursing civililisation . Nurses feel fear from asking for help from someone and so leading to mistakes. Longo (2010) stated that nursing managers can play a vital role in changing a negative workplace environment on their unit by examining problems with disruptive behaviors. When a violent act is brought to the nursing manager’s knowledge, they must take steps to investigate and the person who did this must be answerable and steps should be taken to decrease such cases. Many new and old nurses has experienced violence or had seen violent cases in workplace. Workplace violence has many harmful physiological, psychosomatic, and behavioral effects on persons. (Mitchel. A, vol 4.2014)
Workplace violence causes decrease in professional efficiency and negatively affects nurses’quality of work, they are less satisfied with their job and not agree to stay and work there, they are anxious and not willing to perfom duty, can result in continual exhaustion and sleep disturbances, and harmfully affects the level of patient care. Increased violence dicreases job agreement and organizational obligation. In general, fear of violence acts as a negotiator for decreased job fulfillment and raised stress symptoms. Workplace violence is linked with anxiety and sometimes stress and anxiety causes workplace violence. (Temourzadeh. E, et al.2014)
Objectives:
- To assess the knowledge regarding workplace violence among nurses.
- To assess the attitude regarding workplace violence among nurses.
- To describe how violence affect their work efficiency.
Research questions:
- Do nurses have knowledge regarding workplace violence?
- What is nurses’ attitude towards workplace violence?
- Does violence affect nurses efficiency?
Research methodology:
This study is conducted to assess “knowledge and attitude regarding workplace violence among nurses at Jinnah Hospital Lahore .”A descriptive cross sectional research design was used for this study and data was collected through random sampling using a likert scale questionnaire.The setting of my study is Jinnah hospital, Lahore and target population is the staff nurses of Jinnah hospital.My sample size is 222 for total population of 500 nurses which was obtained by Solvin’s formula. A self-administered and modified Likert scale questionnaire form was used to conduct this study. A questionnaire form has three sections. (Section A) consists of demographic data which include Name, Age, Sex, Gender and qualification. Section B includes the questions about knowledge regarding workplace violence among nurses (10 questions) and Section C includes the questions on attitude regarding workplace violence among nurses (10 questions). A pilot study of the questionnaire was done before floating the questionnaire in the participants.Nurses of all indoor departments of the hospital who were willing to participate are included and nurses of Outpatient department, those who were not willing to participate and other hospitals of Lahore are excluded.
Results:
According to the population of 500 nurses, a random sample of 222 nurses was taken according to Solvin’s formula. The study participants were 100% females having average age 30 years. Majority participants were having work experience 1-5 years. 90.1% of them agreed that nurse’s have to face workplace violence. 80.1% said that nurses face more workplace than other professionals. 76.2% said that it’s a common occupational hazard. 67.5% claimed that night shift nurses has to face more violence. 66.6% admitted that lack of knowledge makes nurses more prone to violence. 45.5% said nurses are not allowed to speak against violence. 85.1% agreed that nurses should raise voice against violence. 94.2% that nurses must have knowledge to deal with violent act. 97.3% said that safe working environment is the right of a nurse. 58.6% said that workplace violence causes aggression, 88.7% that it causes stress and depression, 76.2% said that it causes mood swings, 50.9% said that victim of violence can cause violence to others only 24.4% said that it does not cause change in behavior. 65.3% disagreed that nurses who faced violence can work efficiently. On the other hand 78.3% agreed that workplace violence causes change in behavior. 82.00% agreed that workplace violence affects nurse-client interaction. 53.1% said that nurses do not report violence due to the fear of being blamed. 97.8% demanded that organizations should make policies to reduce workplace violence.
Discussion:
Workplace violence is much common among nurses. In the present study conducted to assess knowledge and attitude of nurses regarding workplace violence and the effect of workplace violence on their work efficiency it was proved that nurses have knowledge about workplace violence and also its effects on their behavior and work efficiency.
The present study participants know that nurses have to face violence more than other professionals , they know that its reasons can be the lack of knowledge regarding workplace violence, professional jealousy, shifting duties specially night shift which may be due to lack of security. 50% of participants said that they were not allowed to speak against violence but they were also aware of the fact that nurses have to speak against violence and they must have knowledge to deal with violent acts.
97.3% of them said that safe working environment must be provided to nurses which is their right. Overall it was good to know that nurses have sound knowledge about workplace violence, they know their rights and have some idea to improve the prevailing conditions of violence and want to improve them. They were willing to take steps against violence. They also know that how workplace violence is affecting their performance and their efficiency.
Conclusion:
The present study reveals that nurses have a good knowledge regarding workplace violence. They know that how workplace violence affects nursing behavior and their level of patient care. They demanded that policies should be made and steps should be taken to prevent from workplace violence in order to improve their job satisfaction and work efficiency.
Recommendations:
The purpose of this project is to assess knowledge regarding workplace violence among nurses and impact of workplace violence on nurses work efficiency. The results of this project were quite satisfying but in order to overcome the deficiencies following steps are recommended.
- Organizations should adapt prevention and reparation policies against workplace violence.
- Establish clear code of conduct.
- Organize awareness programs and training session.
- Use zero tolerance policy against workplace violence.
- Do not allow conflict to rise up into violence.
- Set effective lines of communication.
- Encourage the acceptance of individual differences.
