The Impact of Patient Assaults and Aggressive Behaviors on Nursing Personnel's Stress, Well-being, and Intention to Leave Post–COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

AIM To describe and compare the prevalence of assaults and aggressive patient behavior among frontline staff in behavioral health (BH), medical-surgical (MS), and emergency department (ED) settings and examine the impact on staff health, work stress, work engagement, and intent to leave their position. BACKGROUND Patient verbal and physical assaults have significant staff consequences, including decreased work productivity, increased burnout, job dissatisfaction, absenteeism, turnover, and intentions to leave. METHODS Using a descriptive cross-sectional design, data were collected from a sample of 432 frontline staff working in ED, BH, and MS settings across 3 healthcare systems. RESULTS The majority of frontline staff (74%) reported experiencing verbal aggression often/frequently, significantly impacting their mental health, work engagement, stress levels, and intent to leave. All 3 specialty groups reported a significant increase in verbal/psychological assaults and physical assaults since the pandemic's onset. CONCLUSION The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on assaultive/aggressive behaviors. Nurse leaders must strategize on methods to decrease the normalization of violence against healthcare workers and support research aimed at evidence-based interventions to reduce such incidences of violence and ensure the well-being of healthcare workers.