Publications (29) View all
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Article: Swearing: its prevalence in healthcare settings and impact on nursing practice.
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ABSTRACT: Despite its prevalence there has been little academic research into swearing, and certainly none on its impact on nurses and nursing practice. Nurses are, of all health workers, most likely to be targets of verbal aggression, and up to 100% of nurses in mental health settings report verbal abuse. The literature contains no reference to the effects on nurses of exposure to swearing. This paper reports the findings of a questionnaire study of 107 nurses working in three clinical settings, which used a mixed methods approach. Participants reported high levels of swearing by patients, 32% citing its occurrence from one to five times per week and 7% 'continuously'; a similar incidence arose across the nursing teams at all sites, but being sworn at in anger by another staff member happened rarely. The study failed to show significant differences in the frequency of swearing between mental health and paediatric settings, but did find gender-based differences in both frequency of use and offendedness. High degrees of distress among nurses subjected to swearing were evident; moreover, respondents appeared to have only a limited range of interventions to draw upon in dealing with exposure to such treatment.Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 08/2010; 17(6):528-34. · 0.80 Impact Factor -
Article: Bibliometric awareness in nursing scholarship: can we afford to ignore it any longer?
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ABSTRACT: In contemporary nursing academia, it is unthinkable that topics such as research methods, evidence-based practice, and the translation of research into practice would be omitted from nursing curricula at any level. What is surprising, however, is that despite a broad educational emphasis on "teaching research", the rising importance of bibliometrics appears to have been largely neglected. If nursing scholarship and nursing scholars are to prosper in the highly competitive field of modern health research, a sophisticated understanding of citation-based methods is clearly required. Armed with this knowledge, one can more successfully argue why scarce research funding, that might otherwise be channeled elsewhere, ought to be assigned to nursing researchers. We hereby urge readers to reflect on the extent to which bibliometrics is covered within formal nursing curricula at their college or university. It is no longer a case of if a graduate nurse will need this skill set for their future professional development, but when.Nursing and Health Sciences 11/2011; 13(4):384-7. · 0.68 Impact Factor -
Article: Wounding words: swearing and verbal aggression in an inpatient setting.
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ABSTRACT: The aim of the research was to investigate swearing and verbal aggression in Australian inpatient settings, including incidence, gender, patient motivation, and nursing interventions. A mixed methods approach utilizing the Overt Aggression Scale and a survey of 107 nurses' perceptions of their experience of swearing was used. High levels of swearing and verbal aggression were found, with differing patterns for male and female patients. Nurses subjected to swearing experienced high levels of distress, especially females. All nurses appeared to use a limited range of interventions to deal with patient aggression. In order to provide optimal care for patients, there is a clear need to improve nurses' ability to predict and prevent aggression.Perspectives In Psychiatric Care 10/2011; 47(4):194-203. · 1.30 Impact Factor -
Article: Patient-related violence at triage: A qualitative descriptive study.
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ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to describe the experiences of a group of triage nurses with patient-related workplace violence during the previous month. Globally and within the Australian health industry, nurses have been reported to be the occupation at most risk of patient-related violence, with triage nurses identified as a high risk group for both verbal and physical violence. The study took place in the Emergency Department of a tertiary referral and teaching hospital in regional New South Wales, Australia. Data were collected from August to September 2008, and a qualitative descriptive methodology was employed. The participants all reported experiencing episodes of patient related violence that were perceived as inevitable and increasing in intensity and frequency. Themes included identification of precipitating factors such as long waiting times and alcohol and substance misuse. Organisational issues included lack of aggression minimisation training; lack of formal debriefing following episodes of violence and frustration at lengthy reporting processes. In the context of the Emergency Department where patients present with a range of diagnoses and behaviours, it is unlikely that the issue of patient-related violence can be totally eliminated. However it can be prevented or managed more effectively on many occasions. Strategies to support staff and prevent and manage violence effectively should be a priority to provide a safe working environment and occupational health and safety for staff.International emergency nursing 01/2011; 19(1):12-9. -
Article: Patient-related violence against emergency department nurses.
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ABSTRACT: In a finding that reflects international experiences, nurses in Australia have been identified as the occupation at most risk of patient-related violence in the health-care sector. A search of the literature was undertaken to explore this concept, with a focus on the emergency department and triage nurses. Significant findings included the fact that nurses are subjected to verbal and physical abuse so frequently that, in many instances, it has become an accepted part of the job. This attitude, combined with the chronic under-reporting of violent incidents, perpetuates the normalization of violence, which then becomes embedded in the workplace culture and inhibits the development of preventative strategies and the provision of a safe working environment. Nurses are entitled to a safe workplace that is free from violence under both the occupational health and safety legislation and the zero-tolerance policies that have been adopted in many countries including Australia, the UK, Europe, and the USA. Therefore, policy-makers and administrators should recognize this issue as a priority for preventative action.Nursing and Health Sciences 06/2010; 12(2):268-74. · 0.68 Impact Factor
