Emergency Nurses Association Launches a New Study on Workplace Violence

Focused on emergency nurses, the study will collect annual data for five years

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. (Sept. 11, 2024) – Workplace violence in health care settings, particularly against emergency nurses, is a global crisis. While many small, single-site studies have been done there is no long-term study that broadly tracks workplace violence over time to identify trends.

The Emergency Nurses Association has launched a survey to find the incidence and prevalence of workplace violence experienced by emergency nurses, as well as describe the types of workplace violence, precipitating factors and post-event support for nurses. Researchers will then analyze the relationship between organizational, environmental and human factors and nurses’ reported experiences to support the development of effective interventions to mitigate the violence healthcare workers face.

“ENA has been wanting to do a more in-depth study on workplace violence for years and I’m thrilled to see it be put into action,” said ENA President Chris Dellinger, MBA, BSN, RN, FAEN. The last time ENA researchers conducted a large-scale survey was in 2010 with the report published in 2011.

“Hopefully, a survey like this can increase awareness among hospital leadership, identify innovative strategies to mitigate workplace violence and potentially inform the need for legislation,” Dellinger said.

The survey will run for five years. Those who participate will be asked to complete the survey – which should take about 25 minutes – each year they participate. New respondents will be able to enroll each year, regardless of prior year participation. The results will be analyzed on a yearly basis and aggregated so that participants are not identified.

Eligibility to participate is limited to nurses currently working in an emergency department who self-identify as working in a direct patient care role at least 50 percent of the time and are over 21 years of age. Participants do not have to be located in the United States, but they must speak English.

To take the survey, fill out the form at this link and the survey will then be sent to you. The survey for 2024 will close on Oct. 11.

Those interested in learning more can listen to a conversation with some of the researchers leading this work on the ENA Podcast.

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