Exploring the influence of workplace violence and bystander behaviour on patient safety in Korea: A pilot study

Abstract

Aims To explore the influences of clinical nurses’ workplace violence and bystander behaviour on patient safety. Background Bystanders’ role in social violence affects the consequences of said violence; however, few studies have explored the relationship between workplace violence and patient safety among nurses working in clinical settings. Methods A cross‐sectional survey design was conducted using a structured questionnaire pertaining to workplace violence, bystander behaviour, patient safety culture and nurse‐assessed patient safety outcomes. The questionnaire was administered to 185 bedside nurses at a university hospital in a metropolitan city in Korea. Results A regression model with department, patient safety culture, workplace bullying, incivility and bystander behaviour explained approximately 34.0% of patient safety. Further, defending bystander behaviour, facilitating bystander behaviour, work‐related bullying and co‐worker incivility influenced the patient safety. Conclusion Being a facilitating bystander was a threat to patient safety, while being a defending bystander enhanced patient safety. Implications for nursing management The negative consequences of workplace violence on patient safety may be mitigated by colleagues’ reaction to violence; therefore, nursing policymakers should emphasize the role of positive bystanders as an organisational strategy against workplace violence.

Personal and Bystander Harassment Experiences and Outcomes for Hospital Nurses

“…Contextual factors associated with personal harassment were consistent with previous research 9 . Although most situations involved other nursing professionals, the experiences also included other individuals (eg, patients, family, physicians).…”

“…In keeping with other research, individuals experiencing personal or bystander harassment reported lower job satisfaction and perceived their work environments as more tolerant to harassment. 8,9,13 These findings underscore the importance of examining both personal and bystander harassment of nurses and the incidents of these events. Contextual factors associated with personal harassment were consistent with previous research.…”

“…MacCurtain and colleagues 8 reported that employees who felt trusted and respected by their colleagues, supervisor, and organization were more likely to report both personal and bystander harassment. Healthcare administrators may improve the sense of trust and respect by creating clear and consistent communication, adherence, and enforcement of harassment policies 8,9 . In addition, reporting options that include both formal (eg, human resources) and informal mechanisms for reporting (eg, peer reports) may help nurses feel safe to report harassment without fear of retaliation 8,9 .…”

“…In addition to personal harassment, nurses are subjected to bystander harassment 8,9 . Bystander harassment involves situations where an individual witnesses another person being harassed or discriminated 10 .…”

Protecting Nurses from Mistreatment by Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Roles of Emotional Contagion Susceptibility and Emotional Regulation Ability

“…A recent survey of 4263 nurses in the healthcare industry showed that 54% of respondents had experienced verbal violence by patients [ 2 ], including negative emotional behaviors exhibited by patients, such as anger, swearing, insults, yelling, and speaking rudely toward nurses; all of these are part of a phenomenon known as “mistreatment by patients” [ 3 ]. These behaviors not only reduce nurses’ work productivity and job performance [ 4 , 5 ] and hinder patient safety [ 6 ], but also may affect their own mental health and long-term development. More specifically, mistreatment by patients may directly threaten nurses’ positive attitudes toward their work and careers, which can hinder their career success [ 7 ].…”