152105 Workplace Violence in Nursing Personnel: Findings from the Safe at Work Time I Survey

Wednesday, November 7, 2007: 9:00 AM

Sheila T. Fitzgerald, PhD, RN , Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
Michele Bracken, MSN, CRNP , School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD
Joan Kub, PhD APRN, BC , Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD
Richelle Bolyard, MPH , The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD
Barbara Fowler, PhD , Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Jacqueline Agnew, PhD, RN, FAAN , Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
Jacquelyn Campbell, PhD, RN, FAAN , Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD
  
Workplace violence (WPV) has major long term health and employment implications for nursing staff. The BLS (1999) estimated that hospital workers were at 4 times the risk of private sector employees for WPV. Workplace violence is defined in this prospective study as those incidents that involve physical assaults, psychological and sexual abuse, harassment, stalking and vicarious violence. Outcomes of WPV may include reduced productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, and job dissatisfaction; factors that may contribute to decreased nursing retention and the nursing shortage. Health and employment outcomes at Time I of an 18 month prospective study of nursing personnel (professional and non-professional) at 1 medical institution comprised of 2 large urban and 1 suburban hospital will be presented. We anticipate that (N=1100) nursing staff will have experienced WPV during the year prior to study initiation and these cases will be compared to a randomly selected group of nursing staff from these settings (N = 600) who have never experienced WPV. Analyses of the episodes of workplace violence (prevalence and contributing factors), including violence type, injury, reporting, organizational response, and any interventions received will be conducted. These preliminary study results about WPV in the healthcare setting and the factors influencing negative health and employment outcomes for nursing personnel will eventually determine the development of workplace policies and prevention strategies. Given the sensitive nature of the topic, IRB and COC have been obtained. Referral information to counseling services, safe houses, staff assistance programs, law enforcement agencies, and community organizations is provided for all participants.

Learning Objectives:
Describe workplace violence as it applies to violence type, injury, reporting, and organizational response in one medical institution (comprised of 3 hospitals). Describe independent variables associated with WPV and potential mediators and moderators of WPV such as social support and workplace response. Identify prevention strategies that may contribute to retention of nursing personnel who have experienced workplace violence.

Keywords: Occupational Safety, Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Workplace Violence, Disaster and War-related Occupational Health and Safety
See more of: Occupational Health and Safety