Nurse survey shows high rate of assault

Press, 17 March 1987, Page 7

Nurse survey shows high rate of assault

PA Dunedin Sixty per cent of nurses who replied to a survey by the Nurses Society say they had been assaulted by patients. Of those, 20 per cent said they had been injured. The society’s national director, Mr D. J. Wills, writing,in the “New Zealand Nursing Forum,” said 26 per cent of those who replied said they were assaulted within the last 12 months. Over all, he says, 62 per cent indicated that the assault occurred in a general hospital setting, and 23 per cent in a psychiatric setting. Apart from these broad categories the most frequently cited areas were: medical wards (15 per cent), geriatric wards (11 per cent), accident and emergency (9 per cent), surgical (6 per cent), orthopaedic (6 per cent), intensive care (4 per cent), neurosurgical areas (4 per cent) and pedia-

tries, psychopaedic, obstetrics and others (2 per cent each).

Mr Wills says the figures have not been adjusted for differences in the numbers of nurses in respective specialities. If they were, he says, it would probably indicate that the risk of assault is highest in psychiatric settings, and in accident and emergency departments.

About 31 per cent of the nurses surveyed said they regarded violence by patients as a significant problem. The survey also included questions about needle-prick injury. Of those who replied, 69 per cent said they had suffered the injury at some time, with 31 per cent reporting the injury during the last 12 months. Mr Wills says only 10 per cent of the total sample and 13 per cent of those who had had an injury had been vacci-

nated against hepatitis b.

“The data confirms that needle-prick injury and assault by patients are occupational hazards, experienced by most nurses,” he says. “Needle-prick injury has a slightly higher frequency than assault by patients. Significantly, although the incidence of needle-prick injury is high, 90 per cent of nurses have not been vaccinated against hepatitis b.

“While most indicate that they have been assaulted by patients only 31 per cent regard violence by patients as a significant problem, presumably it is accepted as part of the job, especially in some settings.

“Most assaults do not result in injury, malice would rarely be involved and most incidents would involve confused patients not responsible for their actions.”