Workplace violence against nurses in Bangalore city, India

Abstract

Research on workplace violence in the health sector in India is emerging. This paper reports on a study on violence against nurses working in hospitals in Bangalore, India. A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The respondents were female nurses working in hospitals located in Bangalore city, India. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire, completed during the period from May-June 2017. Of the total of 175 nurses requested, 110 (62.8%) consented to participate in the study. Over a six months period preceding the interview, 33.6% of the respondents faced at least one type of violence. The overwhelming majority (73%) experienced verbal only violence; the rest experienced multiple violence that included verbal, physical and sexual. The factors associated with workplace violence were stressful conditions, miscommunication, excessive workload, lack of security, and working alone. The majority of the assaults were not reported.  The study concludes that policies and intervention programs need to be developed towards making a work environment free from violence.