Description of the Problem
Horizontal violence in nursing is defined as acts of aggression perpetrated by a nurse on their colleague. It is a problem that creates a negative working environment that has adverse implications for teamwork and the overall patient care ( Becher & Visovsky, 2012). The violence can be carried out by use of words, actions, or behaviour. Victims of this kind of violence have a higher likelihood of developing symptoms such as post-traumatic stress and depression. Another challenge experienced with this problem is that it is hard to discern or identify and therefore victims might find it difficult in getting the required assistance. Major causes of horizontal violence have been attributed to oppression and low self-esteem. The focus of the group’s discussion is to understand the horizontal violence in nursing, its effects, and strategies that can be employed in preventing and managing the problem.
Significance of the Problem
Horizontal violence has adverse effects on both the nurses and the patients at large. In most cases, the aggression emanates from experienced co-workers who are supposed to offer guidance. Therefore, it works to damage an individual's dignity, therefore, affecting their general input as professionals. Students and graduate nurses are also largely affected due to their inquisitive nature and their desires to learn from the experienced nurses. Another effect caused by this particular kind of violence is that it might cause a major rift among the nurses thereby having implication on the entire healthcare system ( Purpora & Blegen, 2012). Victims might experience effects of low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and sleeping disorders which will ultimately influence the way they interact with the patients. Victims might begin to abscond duties and feeling powerless while at work. Research has shown that the number of suicides that arises from horizontal violence is on the rise. Other than that, the cost of reporting the cases of this particular violence is high therefore making assistance difficult to access.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Horizontal violence is not a preserve of nurses only as it has been experienced in other healthcare cadres. However, the prevalence remains higher among the nurses. An internet-based research that was carried out by the Nursing Spectrum to determine the prevalence of horizontal nursing in various nursing departments, the results were as follows. The area with the most violence was the medical/surgical with a value of 23% followed by the critical care at 18%. Anesthesia and obstetrical recorded the lowest with 9% and 7% respectively. Other important statistics that should be put into consideration is the fact that almost 80% of the nurses have at one particular time experienced a form of workplace bullying ( Dumont et al. 2012). On the other hand, almost a half of all these cases go unreported. A study carried out in Australia postulated that close to 50% of the student nurses experience horizontal violence from their senior.
PICOT Question
In solving the problem of negative hospital environment in organizations experiencing horizontal violence what is the role of the junior nurses compared to the nurse leaders in mitigating the negative health outcomes that face the patients?
The Purpose of the Paper
The purpose of the paper is to highlight the incidence and prevalence of horizontal violence focusing on its effects and the specific remedies that can be used to deter the problem.
Type of Question and Evidence
The type of question that the research is attempting to answer is both prognosis and therapy. In prognosis, the research attempts to postulate the reasons why horizontal violence is prevalent among nurses than any other medical profession while also giving ideas on the reasons why it exists in the first place. On the other hand, therapy is concerned with finding solutions that can mitigate or deter the type of violence among nurses. The best type of evidence that can be used to answer these questions can be achieved through interviews and questionnaire where respondents can give honest accounts of the horizontal violence predicament.
Search strategy
The topics that were used for the research are primarily searched using the internet and scholarly materials. With regards to the PICOT question outlined above, the focus of the study is to solve the negative hospital environment by comparing the role of the individual nurses versus the duty that the nurse leaders are required to play. The desired outcome of the study is to improve the patient outcome which is negatively impacted by the horizontal violence that is meted to the fellow nurses. The internet still served as a vital tool in searching vital information especially with regards to the statistics while the scholarly articles provided information concerning the role of both nurses and nurse leaders in finding long-lasting solutions that will improve not only the working environment but also the patient outcome. Numerous articles possessed valuable information concerning the subject matter on horizontal violence among nurses. The criteria that we used to narrow down were based on the research question and the PICOT question. With regards to the research questions, we were guided to focus on the statistics, problems, and remedies that were associated with horizontal violence. The PICOT question allowed us to narrow more on only articles that gave a review on the comparison between the role of the junior nurses and nurse leaders in finding solutions to the horizontal problem. It also enabled us to focus on how the solutions can ultimately lead to benefits on the patient outcome. The relevant articles that will guide the research are outlined in the bibliography section.
References
Becher, J., & Visovsky, C. (2012). Horizontal violence in nursing. Medsurg nursing , 21 (4), 210.
Dumont, C., Meisinger, S., Whitacre, M. J., & Corbin, G. (2012). Nursing2012 horizontal violence survey report. Nursing2016 , 42 (1), 44-49.
Purpora, C., & Blegen, M. A. (2012). Horizontal violence and the quality and safety of patient care: a conceptual model. Nursing research and practice , 2012
