BEYOND THE SCRUBS: THREATS AND CHALLENGES FACED BY MODERN NURSING PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) is a global issue of growing magnitude in the healthcare sector. This study aims to assess the knowledge of the nursing professionals regarding this, to identify the impacts of WPV on their lives, to identify the reasons for under-reporting of these incidents and provide recommendations to increase security in healthcare institutions.
Methods: - A pre- tested questionnaire was distributed amongst 68 nursing interns in a tertiary care Hospital in Chhattisgarh. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: experience with workplace violence, reasons and impact of violence, reporting and support. The data was collected and statistical analysis was done using R software version 4.2.
Results: - The data collected shows 67.6% of the participants had experienced violence in the last 12 months, out of which 72.10% experienced verbal abuse. The perpetrators were mostly the patients’ caretakers or their own colleagues. 47.10% of the victims experienced emotional distress and 63% considered leaving their job due to violence, indicating a serious issue that affects both the mental health as well as job retention in this particular field. Furthermore, 35.3% believe that training for the staff will prove to be a useful strategy for prevention of such incidents. Conclusion: -This problem should be dealt with strict laws and every healthcare institution should adopt some strategies and reporting systems for the prevention and dealing with these incidents, respectively. Some strategies like providing self-defense trainings for the professionals can lead to a positive outcome in the near future.