Summary
Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital de Sabadell, Corporación Sanitaria y Universitaria Parc Taulí, Barcelona, Spain. 2Institut de Medicina Legal de Catalunya, Barcelona. Spain. 3Departamento de Psiquiatría y Medicina Legal, UAB, Barcelona, Spain. 4Comissió pe
Affiliation of the authors
DOI
Quote
Galián-Muñoz I, Llor-Esteban B, Ruiz-Hernández JA. Servicio de Urgencias, Hospital de Sabadell, Corporación Sanitaria y Universitaria Parc Taulí, Barcelona, Spain. 2Institut de Medicina Legal de Catalunya, Barcelona. Spain. 3Departamento de Psiquiatría y Medicina Legal, UAB, Barcelona, Spain. 4Comissió pe. Emergencias. 2014;26:163-70
Summary
Objective: To study hostility directed against nurses and auxiliary nurses by users of
hospital emergency departments in the public health system of Murcia, Spain; to
determine the frequency of the nursing staff’s exposure to various types of user
aggression; and to explore the sociodemographic characteristics and position (nurse or
auxiliary nurse) of staff exposed to a higher rate of aggression. To analyze the
relationship between exposure to hostile behaviors and potential psychological impact,
such as changes in a nurse’s job satisfaction, burnout, or psychological well-being.
Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional survey of public health system hospital emergency
department nursing staff in Murcia in 2010. The sample was stratified by hospital and
corresponded to 30% of the emergency department nursing staff in the region.
Participants responded to an anonymous self-administered questionnaire.
Results: The hostile behavior the nurses were exposed to most often was the expression
of anger at delayed care or lack of information. The scores for exposure to nonphysical
aggression were significantly related to hospital size, staff position, and moonlighting
practices; scores for exposure to physical violence were significantly related to staff
seniority (years working). Nonphysical violence was correlated with degree of burnout,
job satisfaction, and psychological well-being.
Conclusions: Expressions of user hostility toward nursing staff are more common in
emergency departments than in other hospital areas. Reducing the frequency of hostile
encounters would help improve the psychological well-being of these staff members.