Affiliations: [a]
San Paolo Teaching Hospital, Milan, Italy
| [b]
University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| [c]
Emergency Department Asl BAT, Andria, Italy
| [d] ASST Rhodense, Milan, Italy
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Paolo Ferrara, RN, PhD, Tutor Nurse, San Paolo Bachelor School of Nursing, San Paolo Teaching Hospital, Via Ovada 26, 20142 Milan, Italy. E-mail: paolo.ferrara@asst-santipaolocarlo.it.
Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Assessment of workplace violence towards healthcare workers represents a challenge for healthcare organizations worldwide. Workers’ experience and perceived risk of violence may have a serious impact on job satisfaction and retention of workers. To date, no studies have been conducted on nursing students. OBJECTIVES:To assess the prevalence of physical and non-physical violence among nursing students during their clinical experiences and to analyze the perceived risk of violence. METHODS:Multicentre, cross-sectional survey. We enrolled a convenience sample of nursing students of the bachelor’s degree in Nursing of the University of Milan (Italy). The students completed a structured questionnaire prepared in accordance with the available literature on violence in healthcare settings. RESULTS:Out of 1185 questionnaires sent, 603 were collected (50.89%). 35.1% had experience of verbal violence during the clinical internship training period, while 8.1% were victims of physical violence. 202 students (33.5%) reported unsafety, which was related to experience of physical or psychological violence, witnessed episodes of violence, gender, hospital structure and efficacy of the safety policies. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings highlight that nursing students are exposed to the risk of violence which influences their perception of risk.
Keywords: Physical assault, verbal assault, feeling of unsafety
