News
This is an Australian study of nurses but the full Medpage Today story says that the results hold true for American nurses.
“The same is true in the U.S., where assaults and under-reporting appear just as common as suggested in the Australian survey, commented Kathleen M. McPhaul, PhD, RN, MPH, of the University of Maryland School of Nursing in Baltimore, who has been involved in such research in the U.S,” says the full story.
“The physical and verbal abuse nurses face on the job often goes unreported, according to an Australian survey. (Emphasis added)
“Over the prior year, 52% of nurses in one community hospital said they had been physically assaulted and 69% reported being threatened with violence, according to Rose Chapman, PhD, of the University of Western Australia in Perth, and colleagues.
“Verbal abuse was almost universal, being reported by 92% of respondents, the researchers wrote in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
“However, only half mentioned the incidents to senior staff or co-workers, and just 16% filed an official report.”
Source: Medpage Today, February 7, 2010
Citation: J Clin Nurs 2010; 19: 479–88.
