Trauma Nurses' Experience of Workplace Violence and Threats

Abstract

Violence in health care is increasing globally and Sweden is no exception. Still, this topic is sparsely studied in the Swedish trauma care setting. This focus group study examined nurses' experience of violence and threats, and their consequences. The content analysis revealed two main categories, threatening situations and consequences, which led to a change in priorities in nursing care in order to avoid a potential violent situation. Furthermore, negative stress among the staff and greater vigilance and unwillingness to be near the patient resulted in altered communication and, in the end, a decreased quality of nursing care.