An Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) study has found that more than half of emergency department (ED) nurses have experienced physical violence at work, according to an ENA press release.

Physical violence includes getting spit on, hit, pushed or shoved, scratched and kicked. The more detailed statistics are just as alarming. One in four nurses have experienced such abuse more than 20 times in the past three years, and one in five nurses experienced verbal abuse more than 200 times during the same period.

According to the ENA report, Violence Against Nurses Working in U.S. Emergency Departments, more than half of nurses surveyed cited one or more precipitating factors to abuse, including:

• Patients or visitors under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Psychiatric patients being treated in the emergency department
• Crowding
• Prolonged wait times
• ED nursing staff shortage

The study also found that the risk of being assaulted was lower in healthcare facilities with policies for reporting violence and response to violent incidents in place; the risk was higher for facilities with barriers to reporting violence, including:

• The perceptions that reporting violent incidents might have a negative effect on customer service reports or scores
• Ambiguous policies for reporting incidents
• Fear of retaliation by ED management, hospital administration, or clinical staff members
• The perception that reporting incidents indicate incompetence or weakness
• Lack of physical injury after assault
• The attitude that violence in the ED is expected
• Lack of support from management

The study provided recommendations for facilities to prevent violence, and recommends creating federal and state laws to protect ED nurses.

What do you think of the study? Are you surprised? Would you like to see laws passed?