Nursing Clinical Teachers’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices about Nursing Students Suffering from Workplace Violence in China: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Aims. To measure nursing clinical teachers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices about nursing students (NSs) suffering from workplace violence (WPV) in China. Background. The nursing clinical teacher is the most important person for NS during the clinical rotation. In contrast, there is a lack of investigation into the ability of nursing clinical teachers to manage NSs suffering from WPV. Method. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Hubei province, China, between June and July 2022. Convenience sampling was employed to recruit clinical teachers in 9 tertiary hospitals who met the inclusion criteria. The survey was conducted using a self-designed questionnaire which has good reliability and validity. Questionnaires were collected through a web-based platform called Questionnaire Star in China. In July 2022, a total of 900 questionnaires were eventually distributed, and 869 valid questionnaires were returned. The software SPSS 26.0 was used to conduct descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. Result. The mean ± SD knowledge, attitudes, and practices scores of the nursing clinical teachers were 69.51 ± 12.78, 29.11 ± 4.38, and 82.84 ± 13.60, respectively. Also, the average score rate was 77.24%, 83.17%, and 87.20%, respectively. There are still deficiencies in the knowledge, attitudes, and practices index, such as knowledge about the sources of violence, perceptions about influencing factors, and behavioural practices for prevention. Factors affecting the knowledge index scores included teachers’ age, highest academic degree obtained, years of work, the highest level of education that they could teach NSs, whether they had experienced WPV, whether they had witnessed NSs suffering from WPV, and whether their NSs had suffered from WPV. Factors affecting scores on the attitude index included the age, highest academic degree obtained, years of work, the highest level of education that they could teach NSs, and whether they had received training on prevention and coping with WPV. Factors influencing the score for the practice index included the working department, highest academic degree obtained, professional title, the highest level of education that they could teach NSs, and whether they had received training on prevention and coping with WPV. Conclusion. Nursing clinical teachers showed moderate levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices about NSs suffering from WPV. The deficiencies mainly focused on the sources, manifestations, influencing factors, and preventive strategies of it. Also, nursing clinical teachers should be trained to better prevent and cope with WPV suffered by NSs. At the same time, in order to better protect and teach NSs, the selection criteria for nursing clinical teachers should be stricter, with requirements on age, education, years of working experience, and titles. Implications for Nursing Management. With nursing clinical teachers as the training target, health organizations and institutions should actively develop training related to preventing and coping with NSs suffering from WPV. Also, it should be incorporated into the preservice training system for nursing clinical teachers. The content of training could focus on the sources, manifestations, influencing factors, and prevention strategies of NSs suffering from WPV. The method could be online theoretical teaching combined with offline scenario simulation exercises. At the same time, strict admission criteria for nursing clinical teachers can be helpful in protecting the safety of NSs during the clinical rotation phase. For nursing managers, they should be kept abreast of organisational policies and adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards violence. It also can be recommended that nursing clinical teachers should be proactively involved in training to improve their own ability to protect NSs.