Nurses' Perceptions of Patient Violence: Exposure, Expectation, Risk Factors and Risk Tolerance.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Occupational Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Known risk factors for patient violence exist, but nurses' awareness and expectations are understudied.
• Nurses' risk tolerance for patient violence has not been previously investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess hospital-based nurses' exposure to patient violence and their expectations.
• To identify perceived risk factors for patient violence.
• To measure nurses' self-reported risk tolerance.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional, descriptive study design.
• Data collected from 499 hospital-based nurses.
• STROBE checklist followed for reporting.

Main Results:

• High frequency of overall patient violence exposure reported by nurses.
• Physical violence exposure was less common.
• Nurses perceived violence as unavoidable and expected exposure.
• Identified novel risk factors: patient race and veteran status.
• Most nurses exhibited high work-related risk tolerance.

Conclusions:

• Patient violence is a significant occupational hazard for hospital nurses.
• Nurses' high exposure and risk tolerance challenge narratives that dismiss or condemn violence.
• Recognizing patient violence as an occupational risk can inform prevention and mitigation strategies.
• Nurses' risk tolerance can be leveraged as a strength in training programs.