Workplace violence in the Australian and New Zealand midwifery workforce: A scoping review

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study is to identify and map what is known about workplace violence involving midwives in Australia and New Zealand.

Background: Research from the United Kingdom demonstrates that workplace violence within maternity services is a pervasive issue with significant and wide-ranging clinical, individual and organisational consequences. To date, little is known about this issue within Australian and New Zealand maternity services.

Evaluation: A scoping review, guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework, was conducted. Reporting followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. Just one identified study aimed to explore midwives' experiences of workplace violence. A further nine arrived at related results or themes.

Key issues: Workplace violence is present in a variety of forms across maternity services in Australia and New Zealand. Its prevalence is, however, yet to be understood. Workplace violence causes physical and mental health issues for midwives, premature workforce attrition, and jeopardizes the quality and safety of maternity care.

Conclusions: Workplace violence has been acknowledged as one of the key contributing factors towards premature attrition from the midwifery profession, with new graduate midwives most likely to leave. With the midwifery workforce ageing and evidence of serious clinical implications emerging, workplace violence needs urgent research and organisational attention.

Implications for nursing management: Workplace violence is a key contributing factor towards recruitment and retention challenges for managers. To help tackle this, managers have a key role to play in identifying and effectively addressing workplace violence by acting as positive role models, taking a zero-tolerance approach and fostering collegial relationships. Managers, holding key clinical leadership positions, are pivotal to ensuring all complaints raised are handled with transparency and consistency regardless of one's position within the clinical hierarchy and organisational structure.

Keywords: Australia; New Zealand; bullying; midwifery; workplace violence.