Nurses' Perception Job Violence and It Is Relation to Their Absenteeism

Abstract

Background: Workplace violence toward nurses has increased, with severe consequences to professionals and their healthcare organizations. Violence towards nurses may have long-term consequences not only on nurses' personal lives and their ability to care for patients. Aim: To assess nurses' perception of workplace violence, and it's relation to their absenteeism. Research design: A descriptive correlational research design. Subjects: A convenience sample of staff nurses working in Elfkrea Hospital (N= 180). Setting: Elfkrea Hospital, Minia governorate, Egypt. Tools of data collection: included two tools; first tool Workplace violence Questionnaire; second Absenteeism Questionnaire. Results: the majority of staff nurses have been exposed to workplace violence, and minority of them have not been exposed to workplace violence. More than half of staff nurses have been instructed to report physical or verbal abuse regardless of the severity or harm to the direct manager and security. Most of the patients relative the main responsible for it followed by more than two-thirds of them were patients themselves, and the minority were the physician and charge staff nurses and more than three-quarters of the staff nurses said workplace violence can lead to absenteeism and more than half of them are sure that workplace violence can lead to retirement. Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that positive weak correlation between workplace violence among the studied staff nurses and their absenteeism. Recommendations: Policies and legislation targeting violent acts should be instituted and developed, and a high percentage of staff nurses need training in violence management.