Violence Against Nurses During Care: A Systematic Review.

Aims: To analyse and synthesise knowledge on workplace violence perpetrated by patients and caregivers against nurses, its consequences and strategies to prevent this phenomenon.

Design: A systematic review of the literature was conducted following the method of the Center for Reviews and Determination and reported in accordance with the PRISMA checklist. A pre-defined protocol was designed (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023432271).

Methods: Three researchers screened eligible studies independently. The Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies was used to assess the risk of bias within the studies included.

Data sources: Quantitative primary studies published between January 2012 and June 2023 were included through specific research strings used in the CINHAL, Scopus, PubMed and PsychInfo databases.

Results: A total of 15 studies were selected, the majority of which were cross-sectional and observational. The consequences related to events of verbal and physical violence were highlighted, ranging from the psychological to the physical effects on nurses' mental health, for example, gastrointestinal symptoms, headache and sleep problems. Four studies analysed the strategies used to cope with such violence.

Conclusion: The results showed that aggression on the part of patients affects nurses' health adversely on both a personal and a work level, and makes it necessary to pay more attention to the phenomenon and to find strategies to reduce the incidents, such as developing policies to safeguard the professionals' physical and mental health.

Implications for the profession and/or patient care: Nurses and nursing managers should be aware of violence and its consequences on the victims' health. Therefore, it is essential for nursing managers to develop effective policies to reduce violence and its consequences.