Nursing staff characteristics related to patient assault.

There is an underlying belief that there is something special about the victims of patient assault, that they possess certain characteristics or behave in a different way from those staff who are not assaulted. Is this a case of blaming the victims, or are there some actual differences between those staff members who are assaulted and those who are not? This study undertook this question. Its specific purpose was to (1) characterize staff victims and compare them to nonassaulted staff and (2) document outcomes on staff who were assaulted. The design included a prospective and retrospective phase. Nursing staff on two acute and four long-term psychiatric units were asked sociodemographic and job-related information at the beginning of the study. The frequency with which each staff member was assaulted was recorded. At the end of 1 year, staff who had been assaulted were compared with staff who had not been assaulted. Any staff members who were assaulated were interviewed to assess the physical and emotional effect of the assault on the victim. Findings indicated no difference between assaulted versus nonassaulted staff on sociodemographic factors, with the exception of marital status. Assessment of job-related factors suggested differences on position in the administrative hierarchy, type of activities involved in direct patient care such as medication administration, and education about handling the aggressive patient. Victim outcomes supported the existing literature. The most frequent site of injury was the head. Staff either did not take leave time or returned to work before they recovered, and many reported emotional stress.