Verbal abuse of pediatric nurses by patients and families.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which nurses practicing in a pediatric hospital encounter verbal abuse by patients and families and their reactions to this abuse.

Background: Verbal abuse, the most common type of workplace violence against nurses results in declining morale and job satisfaction, and can negatively impact nurse turnover and quality of patient care.

Methods: The study employed a concurrent triangulation strategy using mixed methods. The 162 nurses who volunteered completed a 3-part questionnaire, and a subgroup participated in one of three focus groups.

Results: Eighty-two percent of subjects reported verbal abuse an average of 4 times per month. The majority of these continued to think about the incident for a few hours (25%), a few days (36%), or a week or more (12%). Nearly half reported feeling angry or powerless and 14% said they thought of leaving their position.

Conclusions: The findings of this study described the nature and scope of the problem, and prompted improvement in processes and education to support nurses.