User violence towards nursing professionals in mental health services and emergency units

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Abstract

Abstract Workplace violence is present in many work sectors, but in the area of mental health, nurses have a higher risk due to the close relationship they have with users. This study analyzed hostile user statements against nursing professionals of Mental Health Services and Emergency Units in Health Service (MHS) hospitals in Murcia, Spain, and determined the frequency of exposure to the different violent user behaviors. The study was carried out with a sample of 518 nursing professionals from four hospital services: Mental Health, Emergency Units, Medical Hospitalization, and Maternal-and-Child. The nursing staff of Mental Health and Emergency Units was the most exposed to violence. Non-physical violence was more frequent in Emergency Units, whereas physical violence was more frequent in Mental Health. Among the consequences of exposure to non-physical violence are workers’ emotional exhaustion and the presence of psychological distress.

Translated abstract

Resumen La violencia en el trabajo está presente en muchos sectores laborales, pero en el ámbito de la salud mental los profesionales tienen un mayor riesgo por la estrecha relación que mantienen con los usuarios. El presente estudio analizó las manifestaciones hostiles de los usuarios hacia los profesionales de enfermería de Salud Mental y Urgencias de los hospitales del Servicio Murciano de Salud (SMS) en España y determinó la frecuencia de exposición a las distintas conductas violentas. Se llevó a cabo con una muestra de 518 profesionales de enfermería de cuatro servicios hospitalarios: Salud Mental, Urgencias, Hospitalización Médica y Materno-Infantil. El personal de enfermería más expuesto a la violencia fue el de Salud Mental y Urgencias. La violencia no física fue más frecuente en Urgencias y la física en Salud Mental. Entre las consecuencias de la exposición a la violencia no física se hallan el agotamiento emocional de los trabajadores y la presencia de malestar psicológico.

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The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies

Erik von Elm, Douglas G. Altman, Matthias Egger … (2008)

Much biomedical research is observational. The reporting of such research is often inadequate, which hampers the assessment of its strengths and weaknesses and of a study’s generalizability. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Initiative developed recommendations on what should be included in an accurate and complete report of an observational study. We defined the scope of the recommendations to cover three main study designs: cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies. We convened a two-day workshop, in September 2004, with methodologists, researchers and journal editors to draft a checklist of items. This list was subsequently revised during several meetings of the coordinating group and in e-mail discussions with the larger group of STROBE contributors, taking into account empirical evidence and methodological considerations. The workshop and the subsequent iterative process of consultation and revision resulted in a checklist of 22 items (the STROBE Statement) that relate to the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results and discussion sections of articles. Eighteen items are common to all three study designs and four are specific for cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional studies. A detailed Explanation and Elaboration document is published separately and is freely available on the web sites of PLoS Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine and Epidemiology. We hope that the STROBE Statement will contribute to improving the quality of reporting of observational studies.