ENA Study on Violence Against Nurses in U.S. Emergency Departments
In 2005, a resolution was put forth at the ENA General Assembly to address the growing problem of workplace violence against emergency nurses. The Violence in the Workplace Work Team was convened in 2006 to conduct a study on violence against emergency nurses. Data collection occurred in the Spring of 2007. A total of 3,465 emergency nurses who were ENA members participated in an anonymous, online survey.
The study found that 27% of RNs reported experiencing a high frequency (>20 times) of physical violence in the past 3 years and almost 20% reported experiencing a high frequency of verbal abuse (>200 times) during the same period. Of the nurses who responded, approximately half feel that violence is simply part of their practice. The study findings are consistent with the literature in that significant barriers exist to the mitigation and elimination of violence in the workplace. A strong support from ED management and hospital administration is needed in order for change to occur.
- Study findings were presented at the ENA 2008 Leadership Conference and the ENA 2008 Annual Conference. The presentation can be accessed by clicking here.
- A fact sheet on key findings can be accessed here.
- The ENA Press Release can be viewed by clicking here.
- The complete study will be published in the 2009 July/August issue of the Journal of Nursing Administration in an article titled, "Violence Against Nurses Working in U.S. Emergency Departments." That issue will be available online at http://journals.lww.com/jonajournal/pages/default.aspx in early August.