Violence Against Nurses in Emergency Departments in Jordan

Abstract

Violence against nurses in emergency departments (EDs) has become a widespread phenomenon affecting nurses’ job satisfaction and work performance. Literature is scarce regarding prevalence rates and causes of violence directed toward nurses in Jordan. The present study investigated violence experienced by Jordanian nurses in EDs and causes of violence from their perspectives. This descriptive study collected data from 174 Jordanian ED nurses. The majority of the participants (91.4%) reported experiencing violence (verbal 95.3% vs. physical 23.3%). According to participants, the most common causes of violence in the ED were crowding and workload (75.9%), and the least was care of patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (35.6%). Violence is common in Jordanian EDs, giving rise to many heath and behavioral consequences. Health care administrators are obligated to protect nurses from violent incidents by providing adequate safety measures, beneficial administrative procedures, and sincere efforts to overcome the causes of this phenomenon.