AGGRESSIVE PATIENT IN HEALTHCARE FACILITY – EXPERIENCE OF A SELECTED SAMPLE OF NURSES IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC: DESCRIPTIVE, CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Aim: To identify and describe the experience of a selected sample of nurses with aggressive behaviour by patients and their family members. To describe what nurses rate as the most common causes of aggression and what strategies nurses most commonly use to manage it. To determine whether there is a statistically significant association between the incidence of aggressive behaviour and length of practice in the selected sample of nurses. Methods: This study included a group of nurses from a selected healthcare facility, totalling 67 nurses. A self-constructed questionnaire was used. The data were processed in STATISTICA 12 software using descriptive statistics and Spearman's correlation coefficient. This study complied with the EQUATOR (STROBE) checklist. Results: More than 70% of the nurses in our study had experienced aggressive behaviour by a patient. Nurses are most often exposed to verbal aggression, especially swearing and insults. Less frequently, they encounter physical assault. Most often, it is the patients who are aggressive; patients’ families or visitors are rarely aggressive. To manage aggressive behaviour, nurses most often use calm, assertive communication. In the selected sample of nurses, there was no significant association between the incidence of aggressive behaviour and length of nursing experience. Conclusions: Our results show that most of the nurses in the selected sample have negative experiences with aggressive behaviour. Knowledge of assertive communication can significantly contribute to minimising conflicts associated with aggressive behaviours in patients. The research conducted may serve as a basis for further research.