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Antecedents and consequences of workplace violence against nurses: A qualitative study
Author(s) -
Najafi Fereshteh,
FallahiKhoshknab Masoud,
Ahmadi Fazlollah,
Dalvandi Asghar,
Rahgozar Mehdi
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/jocn.13884
Subject(s) - workplace violence , qualitative research , nonprobability sampling , nursing , psychological intervention , medicine , human factors and ergonomics , content analysis , suicide prevention , psychology , poison control , medical emergency , population , environmental health , social science , sociology
Aims and objectives To explore Iranian nurses’ perceptions of and experiences with the antecedents and consequences of workplace violence perpetrated by patients, patients’ relatives, colleagues and superiors. Background Workplace violence against nurses is a common problem worldwide, including in Iran. Although many studies have reviewed the antecedents and consequences of workplace violence, limited information is available on this topic. An understanding of the predisposing factors for violence and the consequences of violence is essential to developing programs to prevent and manage workplace violence. Design Qualitative descriptive design. Methods In this qualitative study, 22 unstructured, in‐depth interviews were conducted with registered nurses who had experienced workplace violence and who were selecting using purposive sampling in nine hospitals. Inductive content analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Five categories emerged as predisposing factors: unmet expectations of patients/relatives, inefficient organisational management, inappropriate professional communication, factors related to nurses and factors related to patients, patients’ relatives and colleagues. Individual, familial and professional consequences were identified as outcomes of workplace violence against nurses. Conclusions Workplace violence by patients/their relatives and colleagues/superiors is affected by various complicated factors at the individual and organisational levels. In addition to negatively affecting nurses’ individual and family lives, workplace violence may lead to a lower quality of patient care and negative attitudes towards the nursing profession. Relevance to clinical practice Identifying factors, which lead to workplace violence, could help facilitate documenting and reporting such incidents as well as developing the necessary interventions to reduce them. Furthermore, native instruments must be developed to predict and monitor violence.