THE CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLENCE AGAINST EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT NURSES: BEST PRACTICES FOR ADDRESSING VIOLENT INCIDENTS

Abstract

Purpose: To develop evidence-based, best practice recommendations for preventing and addressing violence against emergency nurses. Background: Emergency nursing is a high-stress field with an above-average turnover rate and an elevated incidence of workplace assault. Experiencing chronic assault in the workplace can lead to burnout, which can further precipitate departure from the bedside. Nurses are not martyrs and should not have to expect physical or verbal violence in the workplace. Steps must be taken to ensure that hospitals are providing a protective environment to their emergency nurses. Approach to practice: The best practice recommendations were pulled from literature spanning the publication dates of 2015 to 2020. Databases used included PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and Web of Science. Search terms consisted of: “workplace violence”, “violence”, “assault”, “hospital”, “nurse”, “emergency department”, “high-risk”, “healthcare worker”, “burnout”, and “mental health”. Outcomes: The evidence-based recommendations are formatted in a care bundle that can be implemented in any emergency department with the dedicated resources. There are nine strategies in the protocol – ranging the gambit from education, to increased security presence, to mandated debriefings. Chapter 4 details a plan for implementing the care bundle into practice, with an inclusion of an executive summary following this abstract. Conclusions: In order to maintain the nursing workforce, it is vital for hospital administrators and nursing managers to implement a more robust strategy to prevent assault and mitigate the physical and psychological injury that follows a violent event. Moving forward, more research must be done linking experienced violence and departure from the bedside.