2006 Media Releases
Monday, 18 September 2006
Nursing bruises: study reveals distress and dangers of nursing
THE WORKPLACE for nurses can be ‘distressing and dangerous’ with nurses reporting being ‘shouted at, punched, stabbed and bitten’ according to a recently published study led by La Trobe University Head of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Gerald Farrell.
Almost a third of the nurses who took part in the largest study of its kind in Australia said they had been subjected to both physical and verbal abuse in the last four working weeks, and a quarter had considered resigning because of this.
The research was carried out by Professor Farrell and a team from the University of Tasmania before he joined La Trobe early this year. It was supported by the Australian Nursing Federation and published in the latest issue of the 'Journal of Advanced Nursing'.
Two-thirds of the 2,407 nurses who took part in the survey, reported some form of abuse during the four-week period covered.
This ranged from being sworn at, slapped and spat upon to being bitten, choked and stabbed. The abused nurses, who all worked in Tasmania, reported an average of four verbal incidents and between two to three physical incidents.
Sixty-nine per cent of nurses who had been physically abused had been struck with a hand, fist or elbow and 34 per cent had been bitten.
A further 49 per cent said they had been pushed or shoved, 48 per cent had been scratched and 38 per cent said that someone had spat at them.
‘We also discovered that six per cent had been choked and just under one per cent had been stabbed,’ Professor Farrell said.
Verbal abuse was most likely to take the form of rudeness, shouting, sarcasm and swearing. Two per cent said that their home or family had also been threatened. While nursing is a rewarding and challenging career, Professor Farrell said policies and practices must minimise workplace aggression, regardless of who the perpetrators might be.
For further information:
Professor Farrell, Head, School of Nursing Nursing & Midwifery: Email: g.farrell@latrobe.edu.au or Tel: 03 9479 5868.