Rationale for Nurse Underreporting of Workplace Violence: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Workplace violence is a major global societal issue that demands attention. Nurses commonly underreport workplace violence (WPV) perpetrated by patients and visitors, which not only poses risks to their physical and emotional health but also disrupts the regular operation of health care services. We used a qualitative thematic synthesis to evaluate the rationale behind the underreporting of WPV systematically. We identified 4 thematic analysis results. We found that to reduce underreporting of WPV, health care organizations should improve their policies and training, and management should prioritize nursing safety, increase awareness of regulations, and work together to maintain safe environments.