Researching Workplace Violence: Challenges for Emergency Nursing Researchers

Abstract

Workplace violence (WPV) in health care settings can create long-term sequelae for nurses, including anxiety, poor sleep patterns, work-related stress disorders, depressive disorders, and psychological distress. 1 Alsharari A.F. Abu-Snieneh H.M. Abuadas F.H. et al. Workplace violence towards emergency nurses: a cross-sectional multicenter study. Australas Emerg Care. 2022; 25: 48-54https://doi.org/10.1016/j.auec.2021.01.004 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (14) Google Scholar Study findings suggest that WPV also may be associated with higher risk of interpersonal violence, psychoactive substance abuse, burnout, suicidal ideation, and suicide. 2 Nielsen M.B. Nielsen G.H. Notelaers G. Einarsen S. Workplace bullying and Suicidal Ideation: a 3-wave longitudinal Norwegian study. Am J Public Health. 2015; 105: e23-e28https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2015.302855 Crossref PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar Identifying interventions that can reduce both the prevalence and effects of WPV is a critically important line of research; emergency department–focused researchers examining elements of WPV must account for significant challenges in conducting meaningful research, including the lack of an accepted definition, challenges in data collection, unclear metrics or outcome measures, and methodological limitations. In this paper, we aim to describe these challenges and offer suggestions to help researchers and others to better define the phenomenon of WPV, the necessary data required, ways to collect data, and outcome measures that can be used to guide intervention development or selection. Lisa A. Wolf, is Director, Emergency Nursing Research, Emergency Nurses Association, Schaumburg, IL. Twitter: @LisaWol97737411. ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7065-470X; Associate Professor, Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA. ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7065-470X; and ENA Member, Pioneer Valley Chapter. Christian N. Burchill is Director of Nursing Research and Science, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, Lancaster, PA. ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4310-9615.