A Study on Violence against New Graduated Nurses by Experienced Iranian Nurses

Ethical studies in nursing are essential topics, especially when they touch vulnerable populations in health care systems, such as newly graduated nurses. Ignoring violence against graduates may lead to occupational burnout, which will negatively affect the healthcare system. The purpose of this study was to investigate horizontal violence perpetrated by experienced Iranian nurses against newly graduated nurses.

The study used a conventional content analysis approach involving 18 experienced nurses. The interviews were both unstructured and semi-structured and were conducted in various general hospital departments to collect data. Only hospitals in the Northwestern part of Iran were included in this study. Data were analyzed based on Graneheim and Lundman's methods of data analysis. Findings indicated that the newly graduated nurses experienced psychological, verbal, and physical violence at their new workstations. The possible shortcoming is that the study only covered hospitals in the northwest of Iran, which may not represent the true picture of what happens in the healthcare system of Iran. For better transferability and generalizability, the sample could have been obtained from all parts of Iran and not only in the northwest region of the country.

The study provided a setting that can be used to identify details of different types of workplace violence that newly graduated nurses face at their respective workstations. The authors concluded that the health care system should approach workplace violence as a priority that requires specific multi-dimensioned mechanisms to manage, consisting of identification, policymaking, education, and research.

The aim of this study was to investigate cases of violence during nurse practitioners' careers and how the violence affected their work life. The setting of this study was Pakistan. The article covers workplace violence against nurse practitioners as a critical issue in Pakistan which has not been elaborately covered as the available data is scarce. Data was collected using interviews to get in-depth knowledge about the subject. To analyze data, the study utilized the Grounded theory method, while to process information, NVIVO-10 was used.

The results indicated that most nurse practitioners experienced violence in the previous six months of their careers. The nurses were confirmed to be verbally abused, although they did not report this violence to relevant authorities since they believed nothing could be done. The majority of the nurses indicated that violence led them to display low work performance, be dissatisfied with their job, avoid attending the job, experience stress, and have high turnover intentions. The results are suggestive of a clear trend of an increasing number of violence cases against nurse practitioners. The shortcoming of this research is that it failed to propose programs that can be used to prevent and manage workplace violence. Identifying workplace violence towards nurses in Pakistanian hospitals is not a solution, and recommendations to address this problem should have been mentioned.

The authors concluded that violence against nurse practitioners is a serious issue in Pakistan. The violence may result in lower quality of patient care and make nurses develop negative attitudes towards the nursing profession. The authors recommend the study's findings be used to assist hospital administration in developing measures that reduce workplace violence.

Several studies indicate that nurse practitioners experience violence. Workplace violence against nurses is common among those who work in the Emergency Department, especially nurses who perform triage. However, in Italy, studies that focus on workplace violence towards nurse practitioners are scarce and limited in comparison to other countries, although recently, these studies are increasingly gaining attention in Italy. This study aimed at investigating the feelings nurses experienced after encountering workplace violence.

A phenomenological approach was used, and the study set aside (bracketed) assumptions from previous findings. Using Tuscany (Italy) as a study setting, the study obtained a sample of nine nurses from seven different Emergency Departments. Interviewing of the respondents was done during a focus group meeting. Data were analyzed using the Colaizzi method. The results indicated that nurses felt that violence was unavoidable. They felt they had grown accustomed to extreme violence and that they suffered feelings of inadequacy. The respondents indicated that in one way or the other, they might conflict with patients and feel that their organizations did not help them to deal with patient violence. The possible bias of this work is that the authors do not give the background of the mentioned COREQ criteria. They assume that the readers understand what the criteria involved, and this may bar those who do not know the criteria from understanding this research. However, every section is covered separately instead of combined; for instance, there is a clear section of the introduction, discussion, and conclusions which are vital for a better understanding of what the research is all about. Lastly, the authors concluded that when nurses experienced violence, this had serious and severe "hidden costs," which were vital as the direct, tangible costs.

Nurses who work in acute care psychiatry frequently face violence perpetrated by patients, and this affects nurses' productivity and the health care system at large. The role of acute inpatient care contexts is to stabilize patients who suffer from acute psychiatric conditions. The purpose of the study was to find out the psychiatry nurses' experiences with patient violence as they worked in these contexts. Using an interpretive descriptive design, seventeen interviews (a semi-structured type of interview) were conducted. The criteria for selecting respondents were that the respondent should have been a registered psychiatry nurse, be a Canadian, and have experienced patient violence while working in acute care inpatient psychiatry. A small sample containing twelve respondents was used. Data were analyzed by pinpointing, examining, and recording themes within it. Also, constant comparison techniques were adopted as part of the data analysis. To structure the overall process of data interpretation, the authors resolved to use a problem, needs, and practice analysis.

A total of 33 unique exposures to patient violence were analyzed. The respondents reported being physically, emotionally, and verbally abused by the patients. Most nurses had frequently experienced patient violence to the extent that they considered it to be part of their job. The nurses found it challenging trying to provide care and, at the same time, protect themselves following a serious incident involving violence. Also, the findings indicated that the way nurses viewed and responded to patient violence was largely dependent on issues revolving around power, control, and stigma.

The study contains every element that standard qualitative research should have. Thus there is no shortcoming in this work. The authors concluded that it's important to understand the experiences nurses working in acute inpatient psychiatry face since this can help to understand the topic of patient violence better. Also, having a solid understanding of patient violence can be essential in developing measures that reduce and respond to patient violence and help nurses working in acute care contexts.

References

1. Ebrahimi, H., & Azizi, A. (2016). Violence against newly graduated nurses in clinical settings: a qualitative study Nursing Ethics, 90–96.
2. Ramacciati, N. (2015). Violence against nurses in the triage area: An Italian qualitative study International Emergency Nursing, 274–280.
3. Shahzad, A. (2014) Workplace Violence: An Extensive Issue for Nurses in Pakistan: A Qualitative Investigation Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2021–2034
4. Stevenson, K. N. (2015). Registered nurses' experiences of patient violence on acute care psychiatric inpatient units: an interpretive descriptive study. BMC Nursing, 14(1), 14-35.

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