Violent behaviors encountered by clinical nurses

Nurses are frequently exposed to violent behaviors of patients and their relatives, doctors and others. Violence affects the nurses' job satisfaction negatively. The aim of this survey of medical and surgical clinical nurses is to examine the frequency of applied violence to them, to determine the self-reported effect of violence on nurses and suggestions for dealing with violence, to search whether any of the incidents were reported and what legal action was taken. This study was carried out in December 2003. The self-administered survey included approximately 20 questions and could be completed in 3 to 5 minutes and all questionnaires were collected in a confidential interview. Hundred and fifty four clinical (medical and surgical) nurses answered the questionnaire. Most of the participants reported exposure to verbal and physical violence during the last year. Hundred and ninety (95.4%) cases were of verbal and only 9 (4.5%) cases of physical nature. Violence was mostly perpetrated from patients' relatives (56.8 %) and patients (17.1%). Surgical clinics nurses reported much (56.2%) violence than medical clinics nurses (43.8%). There were statistical differences between age, working period and experiences on violent behaviors against nurses. All of the nurses reported these violent behaviors but 66.9% of them couldn't solve the problem.