Causes and manifestations of patient aggression in the opinion of nurses

Abstract

Introduction: Nurses increasingly encounter aggression from patients in their work. The cause of aggressive behaviour of patients may be lack of choice of a medical facility, inappropriate behaviour of the nurse, waiting time for health services, acting against the patient’s will, waiting time for tests, and being refused medical services. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the causes and manifestations of patients’ aggression in the opinion of nurses. Material and methods: The study was conducted among 300 nurses from the non-surgical and surgical departments between May and December 2019. To achieve the purpose of the study, the method of diagnostic survey, interview, and statistical methods were adopted. The research tools included the Author’s Survey Questionnaire for Nurses and the Courtauld Emotional Control Scale (CECS). Results: For most of the surveyed nurses (92.6%), aggression was primarily associated with the use of vulgar language. According to 219 (73.0%) respondents, the most common reason for patient aggression was a long waiting time for medical services. When confronted with aggressive behaviour, more than half of the nurses tried to talk to the patient and sought to ensure their own safety and the safety of other patients. Conclusions: In professional work, nurses encounter aggression from patients. The lower the suppression of emotions, the more adequate the perception of aggressive situations.