Causes of workplace violence against nurses from patients and their relatives: A qualitative study

Nurses are frequently exposed to violence in workplaces. Although the causes of workplace violence have been widely analyzed, there are only a limited number of qualitative studies dealing with violence against nurses from patient and their relatives with a comprehensive and multi-directional approach.

This study aimed to explore the causes of violence against nurses exercised by patients and/or their relatives in different departments of Turkish hospitals.

This study utilized a qualitative descriptive design. Participants were chosen with purposive sampling and maximum variation sampling method from five different hospitals. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 34 nurses working in different positions and departments. The interviews were recorded with audio recorders and the data were analyzed with a content analysis.

Four major themes emerged from the nurses' perspective concerning causes of workplace violence including the followings: (1) health care system, (2) health institutions, (3) health professionals, and (4) patients and their relatives. The themes "health care system" and "health institutions" include four subthemes, "health professionals" include five subthemes and "patients and their relatives" include twelve subthemes.

There are various causes why nurses are exposed to violence in the workplace by patients and/or their relatives. Since the causes of violence are a multifaceted issue, prevention strategies of violence against nurses should be planned and implemented accordingly.