Violence in Nursing - Research Paper Example

? Violence in Nursing Violence in Nursing Summary As an emergency department registered nurse in Baltimore, Maryland, my co-workers and I encounter a myriad of challenges in the line of duty. One of these challenges is the violent behavior towards staff, and nurses in particular, by the patients they take care of and their families. To give a background of this problem and show the enormity of the issue, I will give an experience we encountered once during the line of duty some five years ago, which underlines the reason I have picked this topical issue of violence in nursing. In an instance bordering insanity, a patient almost killed one of my fellow nurses by strangulation five years ago. While this patient received a five-year sentence after successful prosecution in a court of law, many more such cases go unpunished, and there is continual mental and physical abuse of nurses by their patients each passing day in various medical facilities. In effect, nurses have put up with abusive behavior, and they continue to tolerate this issue on a daily basis. However, it is essential to avoid the current state of affairs to ensure that nurses played their roles and responsibilities in an enabling environment, which ensures their safety as they provide quality care. Conversely, the failure to ensure a safe environment for nurses will have adverse effects on the quality of care provided. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every stakeholder to ensure nurses' safety in the workplace. It is important to point out that there are ongoing actions to put in place measures meant to protect and punish violence in nursing. However, these measures prove not to be effective. Case in point, a Maryland bill titled, HB 1099 - Second Degree Assault - Health Care Practitioner, sought to protect health care providers in their workplace during their line of duty. The bill, which healthcare providers were instrumental in its push, would apply to second-degree assault on a practitioner while asking for the raise in the penalty from a misdemeanor to an act of felony. Unfortunately, the judiciary committee in the house rejected the hearing of the bill. In effect, this calls for action to ensure a total protection of the nurses. Introduction The world considers health as the most important aspect that guides the development agenda in a nation. In effect, healthcare becomes the most important sector with governments of the world placing the highest priority in terms of resources and policies on healthcare. Based on the foregoing, the role of the nurse is a crucial one in the society and all over the world. In this regard, nurses play the crucial roles of educating their patients publicly and privately; advocacy roles essential for promoting health; rehabilitating patients, and most importantly playing the primary role of giving their patients’ the required care and support during treatment. However, it is crucial to ensure that the environment whereby the nurses operated was safe in order for them to provide quality care. Conversely, an environment that is not safe will have adverse effects on the quality of care nurses provided with the society suffering. Safety in healthcare, as in any other profession, is the most fundamental aspect in order to realize and meet the expected standards of care. In this regard, it is crucial to point out that the failure to have stiff penalties against violence impacts the role of nurses and effectively affects the quality of care. Nevertheless, aggressive and violent behavior from patients, their families, and their friends has become the norm rather than the exception on American hospitals and in the world. In effect, this underlines the importance of legislation and policies meant to penalize these incidents of violence against our nurses in hospital since they leave nurses in a state of negative psychological and emotional responses, which affect their productivity. In effect, this review of the literature seeks to investigate the effects of violence in nursing on the society. In addition, the expose will elucidate on the impact of this issue on nursing and the reaction of nurse towards this issue. Violence in Nursing in terms of its Influence on the Society Most hospitals in America, and around the world, have put security measures in place to ensure safety of the members of staff and their patients. However, American healthcare facilities continue to report incidents of violence towards their members of staff, and in particular on the nurses. According to Pich, Hazelton, Sundin, and Kable (2010), the occupation of nursing is one the most risky in terms of “patient-related violence, with between 60 and 90% of nurses reporting exposure to violence, both verbal and physical” (p. 268). In effect, the statistics emphasize the importance to put the issue of violence in nursing under intense scrutiny in societies and highly prioritize the need for solutions. In this regard, societies realize that violence between the nurses, more so nurses in the emergency departments, and their patients affects the quality of care provided to the community in which the healthcare facilities existed. Pich et al., (2010), further noted, “In 1992, nursing as an occupation recorded the greatest number of non-fatal workplace assaults” (p. 268). In this case, the issue of violence in nursing emphasizes the importance of the society to focus on solving this crisis. Besides, research suggests that violence in nursing care influences economic losses in the society. In this regard, Gates, Gillespie, and Succop (2011) noted “the employer, workplace violence impacts costs related to increased turnover, absenteeism, medical and psychological care, property damage, increased security, litigation, increased workers’ compensation, job dissatisfaction, and decreased morale” (p. 60). In effect, this influence the society’s expenditure with more funds directed towards covering superfluous expenditures as a replacement for spending on essential commodities. Impact of Violence in Nursing on the Profession Violence does not have a positive impact in any profession, and the nursing profession is not an exception. In this regard, violence has a negative impact on the profession with nurses suffering emotionally and psychologically while others become dissatisfied with their jobs. In effect, these consequences play a negative role in nursing and underline the importance of finding solutions to protect nurses from violence in their workplace. According to Taylor and Rew (2010), “Lack of job satisfaction and reduced ability to perform job role” are two of the most significant effects of violence on nursing (p. 1073). In effect, it is important to point out that these two effects on nursing will negatively influence the performance of a nurse’s responsibility, which is to offer primary care and support during treatment. In addition, the nurse performs this primary responsibility while observing the national standards for quality care. However, a nurse who is not in their tight frame of mind will not deliver quality care. Therefore, violence in nursing has a negative impact on the standards of quality care in the nursing profession. Violence in the nursing profession enhances the possibilities for some nurses to consider leaving the nursing profession (Taylor & Rew, 2010, p. 1073). In effect, there will be fewer nurses in the nursing profession, which affects the recommended ratio of the number of nurses to the number of patients in a hospital or to the population of the country. Consequently, new employees consider professions characterized by lack of any form of violence. In effect, the failure to have enough measures in place that prevented violence will ensure that the number of students enrolling for programs in the nursing profession reduces due to the violence hazard. Nurses Reaction to Violence in the Profession As is the case with any experience of violence, assaulted nurses will experience both long term and short-term reactions. According to Gates et al., (2011), short-term reactions included “anger, sadness, frustration, anxiety, irritability, apathy, self-blame, and helplessness” (p. 60). In effect, this will make nurses fail to deliver quality care due to the feeling of helplessness since they feel that they are hostages to their patients. On the other hand, the long-term reactions to violence in nursing are “occupational strain, role stress, anger, job dissatisfaction, decreased feelings of safety and fear of future assaults” (Gates et al., 2011, p. 60). These long-term reactions make nurses performance low, and they effectively become dissatisfied with their jobs. Finally, the issue of violence in nursing does mostly go unreported. Ray (2007), support this view and note, “Violence has become an expected and accepted part of their job” (Pich et al., 2010, p. 268). In this regard, this means that some nurses in the profession have accepted the verbal, mental, and physical violence on them as part of the job. Indeed, Ray (2007) further noted an existing “rationalization on the part of many nurses that such violence is unavoidable” (Pich et al., 2010, p. 269). Conclusion It is evident that the issue of violence in nursing requires urgent attention and proper policies to penalize offenders. To emphasize the urgency of the matter, May and Grubbs (2002) reported increases in violence against nurses over the decade (Pich et al., 2010, p. 268). While some nurses appear to have accepted the aggressive behavior as part of their job, other nurses suffer in the long-term and short-term due to their differing reactions. In effect, the reactions of nurses play a role in their productivity, which negatively affects the quality of care the nurses provided to their patients. Consequently, the impact and reactions of nurses have deleterious effects on a society. Therefore, this calls for action from all stakeholders in the healthcare sector to consider taking a bold step towards penalizing and punishing offenders. References Gates, D. M., Gillespie, G. L., & Succop, P. (2011). Violence Against Nurses and its Impact on Stress and Productivity. Nursing Economics, 29(2), 59-67. Pich, J., Hazelton, M., Sundin, D., & Kable, A. (2010). Patient-related violence against emergency department nurses. Nursing and Health Sciences, 12, 268–274. doi: 10.1111/j.1442-2018.2010.00525.x Taylor, J. L. & Rew, L. (2010). A systematic review of the literature: workplace violence in the emergency department. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 20, 1072–1085 doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03342.x Letter to Delegate Tiffany Alston of district 24 [Your Name] [Your Address] [Date] Delegate Tiffany Alston  House Office Building, room 204  6 Bladen Street  Annapolis, MD 21401  Re: VIOLENCE IN NURSING Dear Delegate Tiffany Alston As the healthcare providers work round-the-clock in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365/366 days a year to deliver quality and standard care to the citizens of this great state of Maryland, it is important to consider their plight, as well as that of their patients. In this case, I seek to address the safety of nurses who are responsible for providing primary care and support to their clients, in this case their patients. I take this issue close to my heart as a registered emergency department nurse who encounters these issues while on duty. While realizing that a lot of attention in the healthcare center concentrates on the safety of the patients, I find it a great exception that the plight of the nurses’ safety remained unattended, or given lip service in most cases. Case in point, the recent denial of the HB 1099--Second Degree Assault – Health Care Practitioner bill by the house judiciaries committee is a perfect example of the lip service paid on the issue of violence in nursing. In view of this fact, it is important to point out that nurses undergo violence and aggression from their patients, families and friends of these patients, and even from their fellow nurses. In addition, I wish to point out that the reported cases of violence on nurses have been on the rise in recent times. Incidentally, some nurses have accepted the status of affairs and choose not to report these cases. However, this does not imply that they agree with the current state of affairs, in fact, far from it! These nurses suffer mentally and psychologically with consequences on their performance and quality of care. Considering the aforementioned, we ask for how long this state of affairs will continue. Nevertheless, the solutions lie within our grasp, and this calls for urgent action from all stakeholders to protect our nurses since a safe nurse will provide quality care and results to a healthy people, which imply a healthy nation. While we will endeavor to provide quality care and safety to our patients and ourselves as the healthcare providers, we do not operate without the fact that we need supportive assistance. Thus, this calls upon the policy makers and legislature to ensure safety standards and legislations for quality care. Yours faithfully [Sign] Your Name Read More