Experience of Verbal Abuse, Emotional Response, and Ways to Deal with Verbal Abuse against Nurses in Hospital

Cho, Yoon Hee; Hong, Yu Ri; Lee, A Mi; Kim, Mi Kyoung; Lee, Hye Jin; Han, Ae Kyung; Kim, Eunjung

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study tries to identify experience of verbal abuse, emotional response, and ways to deal with verbal abuse against nurses in hospitals.
METHODS
This study was a descriptive research and conducted from April to July 2011. One hundred and seventeen nurses with over one-year experience in general wards were selected and evaluated. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, independent t-tests, and one-way ANOVA.
RESULTS
The nurses' experience rate of verbal abuse during the entire period of work in hospitals was 98.3%. The majority of the nurses were verbally abused by patients (70.9%), followed by patients' relatives (65.8%), physicians (61.5%), and coworkers (58.1%). Overall negative emotional response score of nurses after verbal abuse was 38.82+/-8.28. Ways to deal with verbal abuse were as follows: suppression was 74.4%, complaining of an injustice to close people, 67.5%, and ignoring, 43.6%.
CONCLUSION
Nurses have significantly been exposed to verbal abuse while working in hospitals. Therefore, hospital managers and nurse managers are required to inform other staff and visitors in hospitals the real condition of verbal abuse against nurses and provide a safe work environment by developing the report and disposal system of verbal abuse.