Anti-violence message must continue in hospitals
Published: 9 February 2010
And more needs to be done for community nurses – who often have no backup
Despite a number of achievements over the last ten years, aimed at mitigating the impact of violence against nurses, the anti-violence message in hospitals and healthcare settings must continue, the Queensland Nurses Union (QNU) has told a State parliamentary inquiry into alcohol-related violence.
In written and verbal evidence (last Friday, 5 February), to the Queensland Parliament’s Law, Justice and Safety Committee, the QNU has also raised the special problems experienced by community nurses who are often exposed to violence while working in an open environment.
QNU secretary, Gay Hawksworth, said awareness of this issue has certainly increased significantly since the QNU launched its Zero Tolerance to Violence policy in 2000 and a number of successful initiatives, such as the Aggressive Behaviour Management for Health Care Workers program, have been implemented.
“Unfortunately, however, you can never rest when it comes to an issue such as this, because society is always changing and various social problems, such as alcohol and other drug abuse, are ever present if not actually on the increase,” Ms Hawksworth said.
“As a result violence is still a very real risk for nurses, especially those working in front line units such as emergency departments (EDs). In some EDs, violence is a daily occurrence with nursing staff reporting several episodes each week. Increased societal violence and excessive use of alcohol and drugs results in increased presentations for injury and the other effects of drug and alcohol abuse. Anger, pain and the influence of alcohol and drugs contribute to violence spilling over into the ED.
“In one study of violence in two public EDs, in south-east Queensland, the researchers [Crilly, Chaboyer & Creedy (2004)] found violence towards nurses takes a number of forms. Nurses reported that verbal abuse occurred most frequently, with episodes of both verbal and physical violence being the next most frequent.
“Physical violence without verbal violence was infrequent. The most common types of verbal abuse were swearing, yelling, threats and intimidation, and the most common form of physical violence was pushing. Nurses reported that the perpetrator of violence was either under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs in 50 per cent of cases.
“One group of nurses often overlooked in the public debate about this issue is community nurses. Abuse and threats in the community workplace are common.
“Although there are also aggressive behaviour management practices in place for these nurses, nurses working in the community are exposed to violence in an open environment. Unlike hospitals, there is no security and often no other staff members immediately available to assist and community nurses rely on the police in emergencies.
“Many of these community patients do not have housing or access to treatment facilities. Alcoholism or chronic drug abuse may be accompanied by a mental health condition and an inability or unwillingness to access proper hygiene and nutrition. In these circumstances, nurses may attempt to de-escalate violence, but the circumstances and locations often expose them to a high level of risk.
“Finally, it needs to be remembered the effects of violence on staff and patients, in all settings, can be severe. They include stress, reduced work performance, low morale, difficulty recruiting and retaining staff and increased expenditure on WorkCover claims.
“This is a disturbing list and shows why the problem of violence against nurses is one the entire community has an interest and role in reducing,” Ms Hawksworth said.
The QNU’s recommendations to the parliamentary inquiry include:
|
Reference: Crilly, J., Chaboyer, W., & Creedy, D. (2004) ‘Violence Towards Emergency Department Nurses by Patients’ Accident and Emergency Nursing, 12, pp 67-73.
Contact:
Phone:
