Violence in hospitals and burnout among nursing staff

Abstract

Background: Nursing staff, especially in violence-prone emergency departments (ED), are at high risk of burnout. Frequently experienced violence is expected to have a strong impact on the nursing staff's burnout. This study aimed to examine the differences in the level of burnout between nursing staff who work in the ED and nursing staff who work in other inpatient departments, and its relationship with violence in various hospitals in Israel.

Method: A cross-sectional study that utilized a three-part questionnaire: demographic data, degree of burnout, and frequency occurrence of violence events against nurses.

Results: 150 nurses in EDs (N = 75) and inpatient departments (N = 75) were sampled. Significant differences were found between the two groups: Nurses in EDs experienced a higher degree of burnout than nurses in other hospital departments, and the degree of burnout was found to have a positive relationship with exposure to both verbal and physical workplace violence.

Conclusions: Nursing staff in EDs could develop a high degree of burnout, and exposure to workplace violence could exacerbate it. The physical and emotional safety of the staff is an important aspect in preventing burnout, and creating a secure work environment.

Keywords: Burnout; Emergency department; Emergency nurses; Nursing staff; Occupational violence; Workplace violence.