Essay On Violence In Nursing

Nurses encounter various challenges in the workplace. One of the most alarming trends is that they often become the victims of physical violence. It should be kept in mind that healthcare settings account for about 60 percent of all violent assaults that occur in various American workplaces (Gates, Gillespie, & Succop, 2011, p. 59). Additionally, more than 50 percent of nurses report that they suffered from physical abuse, at least once (Gates et al., 2011, p. 60). In turn, this tendency makes nurses even more vulnerable to the effects of stress. Moreover, they are likely to feel dissatisfied with their jobs. This paper is aimed at reviewing the scholarly articles that can illustrate the origins of this problem and its impacts on the experiences

of nurses. Much attention should also be paid to the interventions that can be useful for shielding medical workers from such risks. Furthermore, these policies will be critical for the better retention of these professionals. Overall, this discussion can be helpful for improving the work of many healthcare organizations.
II. The factors that contribute to the risk of physical violence
Overall, researchers identify several factors that make nurses more exposed to the risks of physical abuse. Some of them are related mostly to the personality of the perpetrators, especially patients or their relatives. In particular, nurses can interact with patients who may struggle with various psychological problems (Gillespie, Gates, & Berry, 2013, p. 82). For instance, one can mention depression, schizophrenia, paranoia, or anxiety disorders. These individuals may also be affected by alcoholism or drug addiction. In many cases, they cannot adequately control their actions. One should also remember that many of those people, who act violently in healthcare settings, have the previous record of physical abuse (Howerton & Mentes, 2010, p. 91). Healthcare professionals should be more careful while working with such individuals. Scholars believe that nurses should be able to recognize the signs of impending physical violence. For instance, one can refer to verbal threats, intense stare, and active gesticulation. In addition to that, the violence against nurses can be perpetrated by other medical workers. In many cases, physicians or senior nurses can act aggressively (Natan, Hanukayev, & Fares, 2011, p. 143). Admittedly, the percentage of such violent assaults made by these people is rather small, but such incidents should not be disregarded.
One should remember that patients and their relatives may use force if an unfavorable diagnosis is confirmed. For instance, individuals, who suffer from terminal illnesses, can act aggressively even if they do not have any psychological disorders (Gillespie et al., 2013). Very often, these people do not want to accept the idea that they cannot be cured. Thus, they can vent their anger on medical workers such as nurses or physicians.
While discussing the physical violence against nurses, scholars also point out that environmental design of hospitals can also contribute to such problems. For instance, physical violence is more likely to occur in the rooms that are not equipped with panic buttons (Gillespie et al., 2013). Due to this drawback nurses cannot call for the assistance as soon as possible. This problem can also be attributed to the lack of video surveillance in medical institutions.
Apart from that, scholars focus on the efficiency of procedures adopted in healthcare organizations. For example, patients or their relatives are more likely to resort to physical violence, if they have to wait for a long time. Nurses are more likely to become the victims of physical violence provided that they work in the understaffed hospitals (Howerton & Mentes, 2010, p. 91). This outcome can be explained in different ways. For example, they are more likely to be left alone, and potential perpetrators can come to the conclusion that they can easily attack nurses or physicians. Moreover, these professionals are usually overworked, and sometimes they cannot give timely assistance to patients. As a result, patients or their relatives may feel helpless and irritated at the same time. Under such circumstances, they can believe that physical violence is the only way of attracting the attention of healthcare professionals. It is one of the difficulties that should not be overlooked.
The problem is aggravated by the fact that many nurses do not always report the cases of verbal or physical abuse. This behavior can be explained by several difficulties. Sometimes, they can be ashamed of discussing such cases with their colleagues. They think that such incidents could be caused by their incompetence or negligence (Natan et al., 2011, p. 143). These nurses do not want to be called troublemakers. Apart from that, they believe that reporting procedures are very time-consuming. One should not forget that medical workers can also act aggressively or even violently. Under such circumstances, the victims are also unwilling to discuss such incidents for fear of retribution. As a rule, the behavior of victims depends on the policies of hospital administrators who may not always support nurses (Natan et al., 2011). The problem is that the discussion of such incidents can illustrate some profound drawbacks in the design of healthcare organizations. Additionally, it may necessary to implement some dramatic changes in the policies of modern hospitals. So, some hospital administrators do not insist on reporting such incidents. However, this procedure is important for making other nurses aware of possible risks. For instance, they can better identify patients who may pose a threat to other nurses.
III. The impacts of violence on nurses’ experience and their performance
There are several adverse effects of physical violence against nurses. It is important to remember that these professionals can experience post-traumatic stress disorder after such assaults (Gates et al., 2011, p. 60). As a result, they can overact even to minor stressors. Additionally, they may struggle with insomnia that can adversely affect various cognitive processes such as memory and attention (Gillespie et al., 2013). As a result, they may not be able to serve the needs of patients effectively. For instance, it is more difficult for them to show empathy for people who suffer from emotional or physical pain. Additionally, researchers argue that workplace violence leads to the increased absenteeism of nurses (Gates et al., 2011). Very often, they can make up excuses for not coming to work. Therefore, the quality of patient care can be dramatically impaired. Additionally, the victims of such assaults often become dependent on drugs or alcohol (Howerton & Mentes, 2010, p. 90). This dependency can eventually ruin their careers. Furthermore, they may have conflicts with their friends, colleagues, or relatives. Nurses, who have encountered physical violence, prefer to move to a different department. In part, this argument applies to healthcare professionals who work in emergency departments.
Apart from that, they are usually required to resume their work after such incidents. They can be freed from their duties, only if they have sustained a physical injury (Gates et al., 2011, p. 64). Very often, these people believe that they are left to their own devices. It is one of the difficulties that should not be overlooked. These experiences often make nurses dissatisfied with their work. Thus, one can argue that workplace violence against nurses contributes to the shortage of these professionals. Overall, this problem produces detrimental effects on various stakeholders such as nurses and patients.
IV. The methods of minimizing physical violence against nurses
Overall, this discussion indicates that physical violence against nurses can be attributed to various factors.

Certainly, some of these causes cannot be eliminated by nurses or even hospital administrators. For instance, one should mention the characteristics of patients who may be profoundly affected by physical pain. Similarly, their relatives inevitably struggle with intense emotional suffering. Nevertheless, in many cases, it is possible to reduce the risk of violence. Much attention should be paid to the efficiency of policies adopted in the hospital. There are several interventions that healthcare organizations should consider. In particular, it is necessary to reduce the waiting time in hospitals. This improvement is critical to alleviating the stress that patients and their relatives may experience. One should concentrate on emergency departments because physical violence is more widespread in these areas. Hospital administrators need to take several steps to achieve this goal. In particular, they should simplify registration procedures. For instance, patients can be registered directly at their bedsides. This step can remove bureaucratic barriers that often make patients very irritable. Furthermore, it is vital to ensure that the hospital is adequately staffed because the shortage of personnel can lead to the conflicts between patients and medical

workers.
Furthermore, nurses and other medical workers should anticipate potential aggression. For example, they should be able to use the techniques that help a person identify those individuals who are more likely to use physical force (Howerton & Mentes, 2010, p. 93). For instance, they should pay attention to such criteria as the volume and tone of a person’s voice, eye contact, pacing, or mumbling (Howerton & Mentes, 2010, p. 93). Additionally, the training programs designed for medical workers should be aimed at improving their communicative skills. For instance, nurses should act as active listeners and discuss each of the concerns that patients should have. Overall, these communicative skills are the primary prerequisites for the de-escalation of aggression and violence.
Furthermore, administrators need to improve the environmental design of hospitals. For instance, they should make sure that every room of the healthcare organization is adequately lit. Moreover, the use of video surveillance is essential for safeguarding medical workers from patients who may act violently. This requirement is particularly important for the medical institutions providing treatment to patients who may be affected by psychiatric problems. Nevertheless, the use of these tools is helpful in other healthcare settings.
Apart from that, one should consider the reporting procedures that should be adopted in the hospital. Nurses should be encouraged to discuss each of such incidents with their colleagues or managers (Anderson, FitzGerald, & Luck, 2010). The key task is necessary to simplify the reports that nurses should complete while describing the incidents of aggression or violence. This activity should not be time-consuming. Furthermore, hospital administrators should lay stress on the idea that the discussion of such cases is vital for protecting other workers from risks.
Zero-tolerance policies can also be useful for the prevention of violence. These measures are relevant to those cases when one of the medical workers acts aggressively. These perpetrators usually occupy the positions of authority in the organization. So, employees, who are found guilty of physical abuse, should be either placed on probation or even dismissed. This approach can demonstrate that every form of bullying is completely unacceptable in medical institutions (Anderson et al. 2010).
Additionally, hospital administrators should hire a greater number of security guards. The presence of these professionals can make people more reluctant to use