Violence in the workplace from the perception of nursing professionals in a pediatric emergency service

Abstract

Introduction: Healthcare professional face a higher risk of experiencing physical, sexual, or psychological injuries due to violence in the workplace fulfilling their role in providing health care to a pediatric patient in emergency cases. Incidents where professionals are abused, threatened, or assaulted in circumstances related to their work pose an explicit or implicit challenge to their safety, well-being, or health. Objective: To explore the perception of nursing professionals regarding workplace violence in the performance and execution of healthcare activities in Pediatric Emergency Nursing. Method: Qualitative research with a phenomenological design. The study was conducted among nursing professionals in the Pediatric Emergency Service, with a sample size of 32 participants divided into 4 focus groups. A semi-structured questions were designed to gather perceptions about various aspects of their work, that were collected through voice recordings and field notes. The results were analyzed to identify the sources of violence in the workplace. Results: Through the data collected from the participants, the lead researcher analyzed the manifestation of workplace violence as perceived by nursing professionals. This analysis determined the existing risks and provided recommendations for designing an action plan to prevent violence.