Effect of Workplace Violence Management Program on the Incidence

Introduction: Emergency nurses are at higher risk of workplace violence than other health care personnel; therefore, a Workplace Violence Management Program is crucial to prevent violence. The purpose of the present study was to explore the effect of a Workplace Violence Management Program on the incidence of workplace violence against nurses at hospital emergency departments. Methods: The present study was quasi-experimental using control groups and pre- and post-tests. The research units included 48 nurses working at the emergency departments of Farabi Hospital and Amir Alam Hospital of Tehran. The intervention included the use of a program featuring management undertakings, such as ventilation, using closed-circuit television cameras, modifying lightings, employing a security guard for the night shift, and training. The training, entitled “Management and Prevention of Workplace Violence,” was implemented as a two-day workshop using training programs. The data collection tool was the Workplace Violence in the Health Sector questionnaire. Chi-square test and t-test were used to test the hypotheses. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: The results of the study showed that the frequency of violence with its different physical, psychological, sexual, and racial forms decreased after the intervention, yet this decrease was not statistically significant. Conclusions: The findings of the present study revealed that although Workplace Violence Management Program with its sub-categories, such as training, security, physical environment, policies, and procedures, can reduce the incidence of violence; this decrease is not significant, which probably results from the low sample size and the short follow-up period (i.e. one month). Therefore, it is recommended for this study to be carried out on a larger population over a longer follow-up period.