A report from National Nurses United reveals that a majority of nurses (84.8%) have experienced some form of workplace violence within the past year, confirming that workplace safety continues to be a concern in the healthcare industry.
Key Findings
- 36.4% of RNs report workplace violence in their unit has increased from the previous year. Only 6.8% of nurses report a decrease.
- 70.3% report being verbally assaulted in the previous year.
- Only 35.5% report have staff available at all times to respond to violence, with 28.5% reporting additional staff has been provided to mitigate violence concerns.
A Breakdown of Workplace Violence in Healthcare
According to the report, only 15.2% of nurses claim to not have experienced workplace violence. Among those who have, the report highlights different forms of violence they have faced in the past year.
| Violence Experienced | Nurses Reporting |
| Verbal threats | 70.3% |
| Verbal harassment based on appearance, sex, race, or ethnicity (including sexual harassment) | 38.8% |
| Scratched or pinched | 36.8% |
| Slapped, kicked or punched | 33.0% |
| Physically threatened | 33.0% |
| Objects thrown at them | 30.5% |
| Spat on, exposed to bodily fluids | 24.6% |
| Touched inappropriately, groped | 11.8% |
| Other | 5.9% |
https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/102415-nearly-85-of-nurses-experienced-workplace-violence-in-the-last-year
