VICTIMIZATION OF PENNSYLVANIA EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT NURSES IN THE LINE OF DUTY (NURSES).
Contributors: Pennsylvania State University.
Published: 1991
Number of pages: 197
Subjects: Sociology, Public and Social Welfare.; Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Health.
Description: The purpose of this study was to explore the victimization of emergency department registered nurses in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A preliminary study was conducted using a convenience sample of three hospitals in the spring of 1990. Focus group discussion was then conducted with experts from each of the three participating hospitals. In October, November, and December, 1990, data were collected from 1,209 registered nurses who work in emergency departments throughout the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The results of this study demonstrated that nurses who work in emergency departments are subject to verbal abuse, threats, harassment, and physical assault as a result of their duty to care for their patients. Almost 98% of respondents indicated that they had experienced some form of victimization at least once during their careers. Over half the nurses reported that alcohol was involved in over half of their victimization experiences. In addition, many nurses were subjected to victimizations where illicit drugs and weapons were involved. Almost two thirds (65.8%) of nurses who participated in the study also indicated that they were not satisfied with security measures within their hospitals.

Bivariate analysis showed that those who responded from urban hospitals reported higher incidence of victimization than did those from suburban and urban hospitals. Males comprised 8.6% of the sample, and reported more frequent experiences of physical assault, verbal abuse, threats, and harassments than did females.

The results of this study demonstrate that emergency department nurses do experience victimization and would like to have improved security measures and educational opportunities to learn to prevent and cope with victimization. Health educators who are in a position to work within hospital settings need to be aware of the problems created when nurses are victimized. Therefore, health educators should act as coordinators and communicators in an effort to utilize all possible resources, including hospital administration, to provide nurses with a safe environment as well as the means and ability to prevent potential victimizations from occurring, and to cope with victimizations when they do occur.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-07, Section: A, page: 2721.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, 1991.

School code: 0176.