News: Overwhelming number of nurses face workplace violence, study says

A recent poll conducted by National Nurses United (NUU) has found that 82% of nurses have experienced at least one type of violence at work in 2023, according to MedPage Today.

The survey was conducted from January to December 2023 and was comprised of respondents in 48 states including the District of Columbia. In terms of workplaces, according to MedPage Today, 80% of respondents worked in the hospital setting, 9% in outpatient clinics, 4% in homecare hospice, 4% in a skilled nursing facilities or long-term care, with the remainder either working in medical offices, retired, or not employed as nurses.

Here are some findings from the report:

• 68% of respondents reported being verbally threatened.
• More than 33% of respondents reported being physically threatened, slapped, punched, kicked, or having objects thrown at them.
• Approximately 67% of survey respondents experienced “anxiety, fear, or increased vigilance” because of such violent incidents.
• Approximately 33% considered leaving the profession and 20% left the profession or changed jobs within healthcare.

The report continued to note that only 32% of employers provide “a clear way to report incidents,” only 30% had “staff, including security, available to respond to incidents of workplace violence,” and 29% of survey respondents said that “their employers reprimanded or blamed the employees for the incidents.”

Editor’s note: To read the MedPage Today coverage, click here. To read the full NUU report, click here.