LATERAL VIOLENCE

CARRIE AND WINNIE

DEFINATION

•LATERAL VIOLENCE IS ANY VERBAL OR PHYSICAL

ABUSE BEHAVIOR IN THE WORKPLACE BY ONE

EMPLOYEE TO ANOTHER WHO IS IN EITHER AN EQUAL

OR LESSER POSITION (WOELFLE & MCCAFFERY, 2007)

•RESULTS IN INJURING THE DIGNITY OF ANOTHER

•REDUCES ONE’S CONFIDENCE AND SELF ESTEEM

LATERAL VIOLENCE * AKA*

• HORIZONTAL VIOLENCE

• WORKPLACE INCIVILITY

• BULLYING

• WORKPLACE AGGRESSION

• NURSES EATING THEIR YOUNG

MANIFESTATION

TALKING BEHIND ONE’S BACK

DISCOURAGEMENT; HUMILIATION

BLOCKING CHANCE FOR PROMOTION

BELITTLING OR CRITICIZING A COLLEAGUE IN FRONT OF OTHERS

MANIFESTATION

ISOLATING OR FREEZING A COLLEAGUE OUT OF GROUP ACTIVITIES; EXCLUSION

SABOTAGE; WITHHOLDING PERTINENT INFORMATION

IN-FIGHTING

FAILURE TO RESPECT CONFIDENCES AND PRIVACY

EYEBROW RAISING, SNIDE REMARKS, TURNING AWAY, MAKING FACES

WHY ADDRESS THIS AN ISSUE• LATERAL VIOLENCE VIOLATES THE CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSES WITH INTERPRETIVE STATEMENTS (ANA, 2001)

• HTTP://WWW.NURSINGWORLD.ORG/CODEOFETHICS

• BARRIERS IMPEDE KNOWLEDGE & SKILL ACQUISITION

• TO IMPROVE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE LIFE

• TO STRESS FOR NEW TO PRACTICE NURSES

• TO IMPROVE CONFLICT RESOLUTION SKILLS

• TO ATTRITION

• TO STOP NEW GENERATIONS OF NURSES FROM BEING SOCIALIZED INTO NEGATIVE PRACTICES

• THE JOINT COMMISSION MANDATES CHANGE FOR PATIENT SAFETY IN SENTINEL ALERT 40

• It’s all about

the Patient

WHO DOES IT IMPACT• LATERAL VIOLENCE NEGATIVELY IMPACT BOTH THE WORK ENVIRONMENT AND THE NURSE’S ABILITY TO

DELIVER OPTIMAL PATIENT CARE.

• 40% OF CLINICIANS “KEPT QUIET” OR “IGNORED” AN IMPROPER MEDICATION DUE TO AN INTIMIDATING

COLLEAGUE (INSTITUTE FOR SAFE MEDICATION PRACTICES, 2004).

• LOW STAFF MORALE, INCREASED ABSENTEEISM, ATTRITION OF STAFF, DETERIORATION IN THE QUALITY OF

PATIENT CARE.

• NURSES LEAVE THE PROFESSION DUE TO LATERAL VIOLENCE AND BULLYING CONTRIBUTING TO THE

NURSING SHORTAGE.

• A STUDY OF STUDENT NURSES REPORTED THAT 53% HAD BEEN PUT DOWN BY A STAFF NURSE (LONGO, 2007).

• 56.9% REPORTED HAVING BEEN THREATENED OR EXPERIENCED VERBAL ABUSE AT WORK (ANA, 2001).

LATERAL VIOLENCE AND THEORY OF NURSE AS A WOUNDED HEALER

AFTER EXPERIENCING A TRAUMATIC EVENT, AN INDIVIDUAL’S COPING

STRATEGIES ARE EITHER EFFECTIVE OR INEFFECTIVE. WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL’S

COPING IS INEFFECTIVE, THE IMPACT OF THE TRAUMA IS UNRECOGNIZED AND THE

PAIN REMAINS UNRESOLVED. THESE INDIVIDUALS THEN FUNCTION AS A ‘WALKING

WOUNDED,’ AND EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS IN THEIR SOCIAL, INTIMATE, AND WORK

RELATIONSHIPS. IN DENYING THEIR OWN CONFLICTS AND VULNERABILITIES, THESE

INDIVIDUALS PROJECT THEIR ANGER ON  BOTH PATIENTS AND COLLEAGUES

WHILE CONSIDERING THEMSELVES UNHARMED, YET BEING LESS ABLE TO

EMPATHIZE WITH OTHERS

JOINT COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION

• FAMILIARIZE STUDENTS WITH THE JOINT COMMISSION EXPECTATION: SENTINEL EVENT

ALERT 40: BEHAVIORS THAT UNDERMINE A CULTURE OF SAFETY

SENTINEL EVENT | JOINT COMMISSION

• IN 2006, THE JOINT COMMISSION ESTABLISHED STANDARDS FOR HEALTHCARE

PROVIDERS THAT INCLUDE A STANDARD OF LEADERSHIP FOR ALL. UNDER THIS

LEADERSHIP STANDARD, AGENCIES ARE MANDATED TO RECOGNIZE AND CORRECT

BEHAVIORS THAT ARE INAPPROPRIATE AND DISRUPTIVE WITHIN THE WORKPLACE. THIS

STANDARD CALLS TO ACTION ALL IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS (

JOINT COMMISSION RESOURCES, 2006).

TIPS ON PREVENTING LATERAL VIOLENCE (ROWELL, 2010)

• ZERO TOLERANCE TOWARD VIOLENT OF ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR

• PROTECTION FROM RETRIBUTION IF REPORTED

• UTILIZE EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

• INTERRUPT THE VIOLENCE: ASSESS THE NURSING UNIT AND RAISE AWARENESS

• ENCOURAGE OPEN DIALOGUE

• CREATE UNIT SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

REFERENCES

AMERICAN NURSES ASSOCIATION. (2001). HEALTH AND SAFETY SURVEY

CHRISTIE, W., JONES, S., (DECEMBER 9, 2013) "LATERAL VIOLENCE IN NURSING AND THE THEORY OF THE NURSE

AS WOUNDED HEALER" OJIN: THE ONLINE JOURNAL OF ISSUES IN NURSING VOL. 19 NO.

DOI:10.3912/OJIN.VOL19NO01PPT01

COURSEY, J., RODRIGUEZ, R., DIECKMANN, L., & AUSTIN, P. (2013). SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICIES

ADDRESSING LATERAL VIOLENCE. AORN JOURNAL, 97(1), 101-109

DITMER, D. (2010). A SAFE ENVIROMENT FOR NURSES AND PATIENTS: HALTING HORIZONTAL VIOLENCE, 1(3), 9-14

GRIFFIN, M. (2004). TEACHING COGNITIVE REHEARSAL AS A SHIELD FOR LATERAL VIOLENCE: AN

INTERVENTION FOR NEWLY LICENSED NURSES. THE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN NURSING, 35(6),

257-263.

.

REFERENCES

JOINT COMMISSION RESOURCES. (2006). CIVILITY IN THE HEALTH CARE WORKPLACE:

STRATEGIES FOR ELIMINATING DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR. JOINT COMMISSION

PERSPECITVE OF PATIENT SAFETY, 6(1), 1-8.

LONGO, J. (2007). HORIZONTAL VIOLENCE AMONG NURSING STUDENTS. ARCHIVES OF

PSYCHIATRIC NURSING, 21(3), 177-178

WOELFLE, C. & MCCAFFREY, R. (2007). NURSE ON NURSE. NURSING FORUM, 42(3), 123-31.

YOUNG, S. (2011). DOES NURSING SCHOOL FACILITATE LATERAL AND HORIZONTAL

VIOLENCE?. TENNESSEE NURSE, 74(3), 1