Recognizing and managing violence in the NICU.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Workplace Safety
• Violence Prevention

Background:

• Workplace violence is a growing concern in healthcare settings.
• Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) present unique challenges for staff safety.
• Understanding nurse experiences with violence is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the nature and frequency of threatening or violent events experienced by nurses in the NICU.
• To assess nurses' confidence in recognizing and managing these events.
• To examine the relationship between violence training and confidence, and to determine reporting and documentation practices for such incidents.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study utilizing a self-administered questionnaire.
• A nonprobability sample of 68 Registered Nurses (RNs) from a Level III NICU.
• Data collected on types/frequencies of violent events, nurse confidence, and reporting/documentation behaviors.

Main Results:

• 54% of NICU nurses reported experiencing threatening or violent workplace events.
• High confidence levels were reported: 83.8% in recognizing and 69.1% in managing violent situations.
• Despite various reporting methods, 27% of nurses neither reported nor documented violent events.

Conclusions:

• Workplace violence is prevalent in NICUs, impacting a majority of nurses.
• Nurses generally feel confident in managing violent situations, but reporting and documentation remain inconsistent.
• Further research is needed to address underreporting and improve safety protocols in NICU environments.