Ensuring Workplace Safety: Evidence Supporting Interventions for Nurse Administrators

Healthcare workplace violence is a growing concern among nurses; however, nurse administrators and managers may not be fully aware of the level, frequency, or extent of the trauma that staff nurses experience. This information gap is influenced by nurses' failure to report violent incidents, their belief that they are expected to care for violent/assaultive patients, time required for extensive documentation about these incidents, and perceptions that minimal follow-up to mitigate future episodes will occur. This article describes the evidence-based structures, processes, and practices supported to minimize organizational risk and protect nurses and other staff from being physically or emotionally injured and/or traumatized in the workplace.