The workplace violence against emergency nurses in Jordan: its impact on the treatment process and nursing work

The Jordanian emergency nurses are now the victims of cruel behaviors such as violence. The incident of Workplace Violence (WPV) is increasing annually with a growing impact on the continuity of the treatment process and nursing work.

The purpose of this study was to identify the types of WPV against nurses in emergency departments EDs and identify the contributing factors. Also, it establishes the variations in WPV exposure among ED nurses based on the geographical location of hospitals (North, Middle, and South).

A descriptive cross-sectional, comparative design was conducted with a convenience sample of 200 emergency nurses. Data were collected via the Arabic version of the WHO workplace violence questionnaire. Bivariate associations were examined using Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests, with Cramer's V for effect sizes. Binary Logistic Regression was executed to identify independent predictors of violence exposure (P ≤ 0.05).

Overall, 73.5% of emergency nurses experienced workplace violence; 70% faced non-physical violence and 27% experienced physical violence. Bivariate analysis showed male nurses were significantly more exposed to physical violence than females (p = 0.024). Binary logistic regression revealed that female gender significantly predicted lower odds of physical violence (OR = 0.42,95% C.I.[0.21, 0.83], p = 0.01). Significant geographical variations were found for both physical (x² = 6.112, p = 0.047) and non-physical violence(x² = 15.755, p = 0.001), with the Middle region exhibiting the highest exposure rates. Working in the Southern region significantly predicted lower odds of non-physical violence (OR = 0.56, 95% C.I.[0.37, 0.87], p = 0.01).

Workplace violence is highly prevalent among Jordanian emergency nurses, significantly disrupting the continuity of the treatment process and compromising nursing work environments. Aligned with the study's aim, the findings highlight that hospital overcrowding and regional density-particularly in the Middle region-escalate violence exposure. Urgent administrative interventions, such as extending outpatient clinic hours and strengthening security enforcement, are vital to safeguard emergency staff and optimize healthcare delivery.