Incidence and Related Factors of Violence in Emergency Departments—A Study of Nurses in Southern Taiwan

Abstract

Nurses in emergency departments are high-risk groups who are most likely to experience the offense of violent behaviors. In a comparison on the occurrence of verbal and physical abuses in emergency departments, this study aimed to analyze the correlation of staff properties and occupational conditions in an attempt to provide a reference on violence prevention. Methods: Eleven hospitals in southern Taiwan were selected and a survey of 267 nurses was conducted. The results were analyzed by percentage, Pearson's χ2 test and logistic regression. Results: The 236 valid questionnaires showed that nurses experienced significantly more verbal abuse (92%) than physical abuse (30%). The highest occurrence of verbal abuse was 49% in night shift, and the physical abuse was 44% in overnight shift. Long waiting (89%), difference in cognition (87%), and lack of communication (82%) were the common causes. The occurrences of verbal abuse and physical abuse were significantly correlated to less-informed (odds ratio [OR], 1.67 and 1.22, respectively) and basic-level nurses (OR, 2.30 and 1.34, respectively). In addition, younger age (OR, 2.80; p<0.01) and single status (OR, 9.09; p<0.05) were correlated with occurrence of verbal abuse, but not of physical abuse. The test on occupational conditions showed a significant correlation (OR, 0.68/0.44; p< 0.005) between the occurrence of verbal/physical abuse and whether supervisors could provide enough training to cope with violence. Conclusion: This study suggested that a well-informed nurse should be arranged to take the night/overnight shifts in order to reduce the occurrence of abuses in emergency departments.

Keywords

• emergency department
• nurse
• physical abuse
• verbal abuse