Workplace aggression: assessment of prevalence in the field of nurse anesthesia

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of workplace aggression in the field of nurse anesthesia. A second focus was to assess the negative impact of aggressive behavior and how it affects the work environment of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs). Data analyses from the Workplace Aggression Research Questionnaire revealed that CRNAs experience verbal, active, and direct aggression more frequently than physical, passive, and indirect aggression. For all types of aggression, CRNAs indicated that supervisors are the most likely perpetrators, followed by coworkers. Female CRNAs experience aggression in the workplace more often than did male CRNAs, with the largest percentage of incidents occurring against CRNAs 21 to 39 years old. A significant positive correlation exists between the level of workplace stress and experiences of verbal, direct, and active aggression. Qualitative data were consistent with the quantitative data, and converging patterns of verbal, active, and direct aggression emerged as the aggressive behaviors reported most frequently by CRNAs. Two additional key themes, patient safety and oppression, also emerged from the data.