Assessment 3: Professional Accountability and Patient SafetyDefining the Issue: Violence from Patients towards Nurses:
In this discussion, I concern myself with ‘violence from patients towards nurses.’ It is important to note, from the onset, that violence meted to nurses by patients is one of the least discussed contemporary nursing issues. In the words of Stevenson, Jack, O’Mara and LeGris (2015, p. 32), “registered nurses (RNs), compared to other healthcare providers are at a higher risk of experiencing violence in the workplace that is initiated by patients and families.” In essence, violence from patients towards nurses includes any act of aggression initiated by the patient and (or) their relatives and friends and directed at the nurse. Acts of aggression in this case could include, but they are not limited to, grabbing, scratching, hitting, and in some cases shouting down the nurse in a threating manner. It is important to note that in some extreme instances, nurses have been killed by those they are attempting to take good care of. Patients likely to become violent towards nurses, as Ramacciati, Ceccagnoli, Addey, Lumini, and Rasero (2016, p. 23) point out include those having mental health issues and those under drug influence.
Significance to Nursing
According to Roche, Diers, Duffield, and Catling-Paull (2010, p. 14), the fact that nurses offer front-line service and are in close proximity to patients makes them prime “targets for interpersonal violence.” The services nurses provide to patients in the healthcare setting are largely hands-on. This puts them in close proximity to patients so that they can be able to not only administer medications, but also monitor the condition of patients. Further, nurses act as an important link between patients and doctors and maintain key records relating to the health condition and progress of patients. The relevance of nurses in the healthcare setting cannot, therefore, be overstated. Anything that disrupts the effective functioning of nurses in this setting is therefore a threat to the smooth functioning of the entire health system. It is important to note that as Stene, Larson, Levy, and Dohlman (2015, p. 114) point out, most violence from patients towards nurses is observed in the emergency room. Violent altercations in the emergency room can disrupt the flow of activities and effectively disadvantage other patients.
Nurses contend with a myriad of challenges in the discharge of their duties. Common challenges include working long hours, handing the anguish of family members and families following death of a loved one, ensuring that patients honor their treatment regimen even in those instances when they (patients) do not want to, etc. Violence at the workplace is yet another issue nurses have to contend with. It is important to note that as Stevenson, Jack, O’Mara and LeGris (2015, p. 37) point out,...
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