A nurse stands strong amidst abstract shapes representing workplace violence.

Is Workplace Violence Affecting Your Nursing Staff? A Simple Questionnaire Can Help

Avery Sinclair in Health & Wellness August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Learn how a new questionnaire assesses workplace violence against nurses, offering a crucial tool for prevention and support."

Workplace violence in healthcare is a widespread and troubling issue, particularly affecting nursing professionals. From physical assault to verbal abuse and sexual harassment, nurses often face a range of aggressive behaviors that can lead to significant psychological, emotional, and even physical consequences. Recognizing and addressing this violence is crucial for protecting the well-being of nursing staff and ensuring the delivery of quality patient care.

Many healthcare facilities lack the necessary tools to accurately measure and assess the extent of workplace violence. The absence of validated instruments makes it difficult to identify the specific types of violence occurring, understand their impact on nursing staff, and develop effective prevention and intervention strategies. This gap in assessment capabilities underscores the urgent need for practical and reliable methods to evaluate workplace violence in healthcare settings.

A recent study focused on developing and validating a questionnaire designed to assess workplace violence experienced or witnessed by nursing staff. This questionnaire aims to provide a standardized and comprehensive tool for healthcare facilities to evaluate the prevalence and nature of violence in their workplaces, ultimately contributing to safer and more supportive environments for nurses.

A Questionnaire to Assess Workplace Violence: What It Measures

A nurse stands strong amidst abstract shapes representing workplace violence.

The questionnaire developed in this study is structured to capture various forms of workplace violence experienced by nursing staff. It goes beyond simply asking whether violence has occurred; it delves into the specifics of each incident, providing a more detailed understanding of the issue. Here’s a breakdown of what the questionnaire assesses:

The questionnaire is divided into five key sections, ensuring comprehensive coverage of different types of violence:

Physical Violence: Examines incidents involving physical force, such as assaults, pushing, or hitting.
Verbal Abuse: Assesses experiences of yelling, insults, and disrespectful language.
Sexual Harassment: Identifies unwanted behaviors of a sexual nature that create an offensive or hostile environment.
Other Types of Violence: Allows staff to report any other forms of violence not covered in the previous sections.
Prevention and Reduction: Gathers insights on existing measures and suggestions for improving workplace safety.

For each type of violence, the questionnaire explores several aspects of the incidents, including:

The Value of This Questionnaire: Creating a Safer Environment for Nurses

This newly developed questionnaire offers a valuable tool for healthcare facilities committed to creating a safer and more supportive environment for their nursing staff. By providing a standardized and comprehensive method for assessing workplace violence, the questionnaire enables facilities to:

<ul><li>Identify the prevalence and nature of violence: Pinpoint the specific types of violence occurring and understand their frequency.</li><li>Understand the impact on nursing staff: Assess the psychological, emotional, and physical consequences of violence on nurses' well-being.</li><li>Develop targeted prevention and intervention strategies: Implement evidence-based measures to reduce the risk of violence and support affected staff.</li></ul>

Ultimately, this questionnaire represents a crucial step towards fostering a culture of safety and respect in healthcare settings, ensuring that nurses can focus on providing quality patient care without fear of violence.

About this Article -

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Everything You Need To Know

What specific types of workplace violence does the questionnaire help to evaluate against nursing staff?

The questionnaire evaluates workplace violence against nurses by examining five key sections: Physical Violence, assessing incidents involving physical force; Verbal Abuse, assessing experiences of yelling and insults; Sexual Harassment, identifying unwanted behaviors of a sexual nature; Other Types of Violence, allowing staff to report other forms of violence; and Prevention and Reduction, gathering insights on improving workplace safety. For each type of violence, the questionnaire explores several aspects of the incidents to provide a detailed understanding of the issue.

In what ways does this workplace violence questionnaire support healthcare facilities and their nursing staff?

The questionnaire helps in several ways. It provides a standardized method for assessing workplace violence, enabling healthcare facilities to accurately measure the extent of the issue. By identifying specific types of violence, facilities can better understand the impact on nursing staff. This understanding allows for the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies, ultimately contributing to safer and more supportive environments for nurses.

Beyond just identifying if an incident occurred, what specific details about workplace violence incidents does the questionnaire try to capture?

The questionnaire delves into several aspects of each incident of violence. For example, it assesses the frequency and severity of the violence, the characteristics of the perpetrator (such as patient, visitor, or colleague), and the location where the violence occurred. Additionally, it explores the impact of the violence on the nursing staff, including psychological and emotional consequences. By capturing these specifics, the questionnaire provides a comprehensive understanding of the nature and extent of workplace violence in healthcare settings.

Does the questionnaire address legal or regulatory requirements for reporting and handling workplace violence incidents?

The questionnaire does not explicitly address specific legal or regulatory requirements related to reporting and addressing workplace violence. However, the insights gained from using the questionnaire can inform the development of policies and procedures that align with relevant legal and ethical standards. Healthcare facilities should consult with legal counsel and regulatory experts to ensure full compliance with all applicable requirements.

Is the questionnaire designed for use with all healthcare staff, or is it specifically tailored for nursing staff?

The questionnaire focuses specifically on assessing workplace violence experienced or witnessed by nursing staff. While the insights gained from the questionnaire can inform broader initiatives to improve workplace safety for all healthcare professionals, the questionnaire itself may not be directly applicable to other staff members. Healthcare facilities may need to develop or adapt similar assessment tools to address the specific needs and experiences of other professional groups.