Violence In The Workplace.

[SOCRATES SOUL]

we have had recent campaigns here in australia, not sure if it was a statewide initiative or just n.s.w highlighting the increasing abuse in our workplace and the general public....

they were centered on all forms of violence, from the horizontal to the physical to the verbal, posters were distributed for wards to display the slogan 'let nurses do their work'.... and in some wards, notices were pinned informing the patients and their visitors that they could be subject to police intervention where applicable if they acted out against staff.....call in the fuzz, that always works!

in my pov this was long overdue and i have seen a general improvement in the clients and visitors attitudes and demeanors but it still lurks in the dark dinghy corners of wards at times and rears its ugly head.............. what i would like to ask is how is the situation elsewhere? do you have a higher incidence of violence? do you think that hospital security is swift and efficient in response to calls or blase? have you ever experienced an act of violence in any form? do you feel supported and protected with the protocols followed at your hospitals for dealing with violence effectively with satisfactory outcomes? is there supportive managerial/administrative staff, nums etc?.........do you feel maybe that much rights have been taken from nurses to defend ourselves and too many rights have been given to the patient, thus making us more vunerable to abuse?.......

lets not forget that violence can entail shouting, ordering, finger pointing,arguing, general menacing and intimidating behaviour and harrasment, all situations us nurses face daily...... :stone

[Cascadians]

For a while there workplace violence ioho was really getting bad. It seems to be getting a little better at the mo. Aside from all the horizontal violence that comes from stressed oppressed suppressed colleagues, we'd see spouses of ill pts go ballistic. We put Security on speed dial on all the phones. Seems enough reports came in that management started noticing.

Today, in fact, our DON is giving an InService based on some Horizontal & Vertical Violence pieces we sent her off the Web -- fuel for discussion and further tips for dealing with pt / spouse / visitor violence.

Workplace violence, bullying, mobbing, catfighting, etc -- always a problem -- always a way to avoid it, or if it gets too awful -- move! :)

The places who indulge unfettered in these terrible self-harming practices do themselves in eventually. Bail the sinking ship if your good efforts to help are met with scorn, inattention, or resistance ...

[micro, RN]

it is becoming more visibly addressed where i am and there is soon to be an actual policy in which gives some guidelines for all to follow.............

sad it is such a universal problem.....