Protecting Nurses From Workplace Violence in Healthcare Sector: Essay Sample

Introduction

The healthcare industry is on the rise, but some issues need to be fixed, like workplace violence among health practitioners. Over the past few decades, cases of violence against nurses have been on the rise in the healthcare sector. The rational focus of this report is to provide practical ways of protecting nurses in hospitals. Also, it will highlight effective measures required to be implemented by the government in punishing offenders found guilty.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Assessment

Healthcare practitioners play a significant role in delivering high-quality services to patients across the globe. A report released by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health states that there are different forms of workplace violence in the healthcare sector. Some of these workplace violence cases include Type I, where a culprit has criminal intentions of hurting nurses and does not have any experience in the field of nursing. Type II occurs when a patient or a consumer is receiving treatment or care decides to become violent. The third form of violence occurs between nursing practitioners working in the same department or hospital. The fourth form of workplace violence experienced by nurses is known as personal relationship violence.

Research

Healthcare professions have conducted surveys that have shown an increase in workplace violence against nurses. The studies showed that 22 percent of the registered nurses and nursing students were physically battered, while 52 percent were verbally abused annually. Also, 12 percent of the nurses who were working in the emergency department faced physical violence, and 60 percent were verbally abused within seven days. Additionally, staff members who worked in Veterans Health Administration hospitals indicated that they were being abused every year. The increased cases of violence in hospitals vastly affect corporations and businesses in the healthcare sector(Wiltenburg, 2010). A report released by OSHA showed that between 2002 and 2013, nurses were severely injured, forcing some to be given off days as they recover. These increased cases were more prevalent in the healthcare sector compared to the private industry. The violence cases forced hospitals to incur considerable losses in treating or hiring new nurses at the cost of more than$100,000.

Goals and Objectives

Healthcare practitioners operate in environments that require a lot of care, skills, and diligence in meeting the needs of a patient. Nurses tend to deal with different types of patients who might have a history of violence or under the influence of drugs. In some cases, nurses might be forced to lift and move patients to different rooms in the hospital. However, some hospitals tend to have hallways that have poor lighting. These cases expose nurses to different types of threats when they are all alone with patients in the hospital.

In some cases, violence cases prevalent in hospitals can be unavoidable when dealing with patients. Therefore, hospitals show come up with effective ways of addressing these issues as a way of protecting nurses. One, they are required to educate and train nurses on different ways of dealing with patients who might be under the influence of drugs. Two, there is a need for nurses to report violence cases experienced in hospitals. This approach will help security officers in dealing and combating the problem before things get out of hand.

Governance structure

The best way of addressing workplace violence against nurses is to increased security officers in all hospitals. Some of these nurses are not trained to deal with violent patients thus, they end up being hurts. Also, there is a need to come up with an effective customer care system to reduce disputes between patients and nurses in hospitals. Nurses who are found fighting each other should face disciplinary actions for setting a bad example for the patients or customers. The federal government should work with healthcare practitioners in implementing policies that will protect the interests of nurses in hospitals (Roakes, 2012). Healthcare professionals should apply a transformative style of leadership that will monitor the behavior of their employees. This approach will ensure that nurses are accountable for their actions in the hospital

Membership

The American Nursing Association should come up with effective ways of recruiting security officers who will protect the interest of nurses. Also, there is a need to educate and train nurses dealing with patients when under the influence of drugs. Patients with a history of violence should be treated as a threat to staff members and nurses. Nurses dealing with these types of patients should be compensated by the hospital in case of any injury. The federal government should set up a fund that will help in paying nurses injured in their respective fields.

Proposal

Based on the case study of workplace violence, I would request the federal government and American Nursing Association to protect the interest of nurses. This approach will help in reducing the increased cases of abuse in hospitals. Nurses need to feel safe and secure while attending to their patients. Also, there is a need to cultivate a good relationship between nurses and patients seeking services in hospitals. Lastly, let us protect the needs and rights of our nurses for a better tomorrow.

Reference

Roakes, D. K. (2012). Workplace Violence: Emergency Department Versus Medical-Surgical Nurses. Gardner-Webb University.

Wiltenburg, S. V. (2010). Workplace Violence Against Registered Nurses. Lap Lambert Academic Publishing GmbH KG.