The impact of workplace violence on nurses in South Taiwan

The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of workplace violence (WPV) committed by patients and their family members against healthcare workers in south Taiwan. WPV incident questionnaires were completed by 205 nurses from a medical facility in south Taiwan. Sixty-two percent of the nurses reported experiencing WPV. The majority of the cases consisted of verbal abuse including threats of violence or threatening words from patients or families. The verbal expressions of violence were mainly due to misunderstanding and drunkenness on the part of patients and their families, and personal problems in the nurses' relationships with doctors and co-workers. The cases of physical WPV reported by the nurses were perpetrated by patients who were mentally unstable. The findings of this study may help hospitals and nurses in avoiding, reducing, and controlling incidents of WPV.