Here's that research I promised. I encourage everyone of you demanding your evidence and studies do your own research and think for yourselves. Don't sit and criticize something because it doesn't have what you think it should have. Remember: this is a forum. If you're looking for material to influence your practice, then you need to reevaluate much in the way of your research approach.
2011 ANA Health and Safety survey regarding hazards in the RN workplace listed this as area of high concern:
RNs threatened or verbally abused in 12-month period 52% (57%)
From the American Psychiatric Nurses Association 2008 Position Paper: "health and safety consequences of horizontal violence (i.e., verbal, physical, and sexual abuse from coworkers) have received wide attention. A work environment with hostile interactions negatively impacts staff health and well being; furthermore, it has been associated with reduced quality of care and recruitment and retention problems."
http://www.apna.org/files/public/APNA_Workplace_Violence_Position_Paper.pdf
Hey the Joint Commission also has an opinion:
"The Joint Commission states that intimidating and disruptive behaviors can foster medical errors, contribute to poor patient satisfaction and to preventable adverse outcomes, increase the cost of care, and cause qualified clinicians, administrators, and managers to seek new positions in more professional environments. Safety and quality of patient care is dependent on more professional environments. Safety and quality of patient care is requires teamwork, communication, and a collaborative work environment. To ensure quality and to promote a culture of safety, health care organizations must address the problem of behavior that threaten the performance of the health care team." (Joint Commission, 2008)
Nurses are three times more likely to be the victims of violence than any other professional group (Keely, 2002)
In Nursing Management's 2008 Workplace Violence Survey, 1,377 of 1,400 respondents claimed that employee safety in health care is woefully inadequate (Hader, 2008)
Of the types of violence encountered, 51% to 75% were bullying, intimidation, and harassment
Perpetrators of violence against respondents included patients (53.2%), colleagues (51.9%), physicians (49%), visitors (47%), and other health care workers (37.7%).
Manderino and Berkey (1997) estimated that 90% of nurses experience verbal abuse on an annual basis. The Joint Commission surveyed nurses and found that more than 50% reported being subjected to verbal abuse (as cited in American Association of Critical Care Nurses, 2005, p. 16). Of the 303 nurses surveyed, 53% reported having been bullied at work (Vessey, Demarco, Gaffney, & Budin, in press).
I suggest every nurse - especially the ones who have so graciously participated in this discussion either to contribute or demean it, read the ANA's position statement on Incivility and Bullying. Then read the ANA's Nursing Code of Ethics. As nurses we are all responsible for being familiar with nurse practice acts, professional guidelines and the scope and standards of professional practice as set forth by ANA. Those are the documents that courts will pay attention to should you find yourself on the ugly end of a lawsuit or criminal charge. Not your fancy higher degrees. Art and Shakespeare won't help you then
