The factors that affect violence against nurses in emergency departments

Abstract

BackgroundViolence against nurses within healthcare setting is a serious issue of concern within the global healthcare sector. A considerably large percentage of nurses, 30%, in particular, have experienced or witnessed cases of violence in the workplace. ObjectiveTo conduct a scoping review on the factors influencing violence against nurses in emergency departments. DesignLiterature review. Setting(s)The SLR was performed in various academic databases namely SpringerLink, Google Scholar, Science Direct, ERIC, and Academic Search Elite. ParticipantsA total of N = 10 articles were included in the study. MethodsA scoping/mapping review (SR) was performed in adherence to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis recommendations. ResultsThe literature review consisted of 10 articles published in the English language within the last 10 yrs (between 2013 and 2022). The studies reviewed utilized various designs. Cross-sectional were 7, Case study was 1, while Qualitative retrospective descriptive studies were 2. The total sample size of all the studies recruited was N = 38, 031 participants. The reviewed literature revealed various factors that contribute to violence against nurses namely the level of a nurse’s experience, low quality of service, unmet expectations, patient or colleague disruptive behaviors, delay in care or waiting time, mistakes in care/errors, degree of pain of the patient, death of a patient, class in roles among colleagues, and high workload and overcrowding. ConclusionsViolence against nurses is a major problem in the healthcare sector due to its adverse consequences; however, it remains persistent. This study reveals that the main factors of violence against nurses are fewer years of experience as a nurse, level of pain of patients, quality of healthcare service, waiting time, unmet patient expectation, and disagreements among nurses in the workplace.