Exploring Staff Experiences of Patient Perpetrated Violence: A Qualitative Interview Study

Qualitative interview study;
• Interviews held in June-August 2022; • Approvals granted by the University
Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust R&D Department (GF0480).
Violence as (un)predictable
VIOLENCE IMPACTS
Physical and psychological injury, emotional fatigue and burnout
Impacted work performance, reduced productivity
Task delays, medication errors, disruptions to patient care
WHAT DO WE KNOW?
• Health and care sector staff face a higher risk of violence at work than most other sectors.
• The NHS is facing unprecedented demand in the wake of COVID-19, with record numbers of frontline staff leaving the service.
• Many have come to see violence as a normal part of the job.
STUDY OBJECTIVE
To explore staff experiences and perceptions of patient-perpetrated violence in hospital settings.
PARTICIPANTS
• Convenience sample of hospital staff (n=12);
• Sample included nurses (3), doctors (2), allied health professionals
(5), hospital security (1) and a non-clinical manager (1).
• All identified themselves as having a role that involved managing and/or witnessing violence.
THEMATIC FINDINGS
Violence as (un)preventable
ANALYSIS
• Data were organised, managed and analysed using the Framework Approach;
• Attribution Theory4 used as a theoretical lens.