Comparing Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department Nurses at Risk for Workplace Violence on Their Perception of Safety

The concept of Workplace Violence (WPV) is relatively old, and spans across a multitude of disciplines. With the recent study on Emergency Department Violence by Gacki-Smith et al. (2010), new information has highlighted its effect on nursing. While studies regarding the impact of WPV in nursing are limited to date, there is evidence that employing an awareness of types of violence in nursing to the intensive care unit settings provides a number of safety advantages. These advantages include increased employee satisfaction, and increased patient safety. According to Kansagra (2008), “the efficacy of violence prevention education in reducing the actual number of events is an area that clearly deserves further study” (p. 1273). This study was designed to compare two hospital units that are at risk, the intensive care unit (ICU) and the emergency department (ED) for violence with the unit employees’ perception of safety. The Occupational Health and Safety Council of Ontario's (OSHCO) WPV Survey will be utilized to determine the unit employees’ perception of safety. Workers who did not express a perception of safety at their unit are hypothesized to have experienced a higher incidence of violence. WPV can have a profound effect on the employee and should be regarded as a potential patient safety hazard.