Nurses on the front lines of workplace violence

Feb 20, 2007 3:28 PM

According to a recent survey by the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), 86 percent of emergency nurses report having been the victim of violence by a patient or a patient's family member when working in the emergency department.

Workplace violence and a nursing shortage -- combined with increasing use of the emergency department -- can diminish the quality of emergency care for patients.

This week, the nation's leaders in emergency nursing practice and research will convene in Boston at the 2007 ENA Leadership Conference to identify solutions and discuss best practices for improving the emergency department experience for patients and staff. Among the numerous sessions that will draw on case studies from departments across the nation, "Violence in the Emergency Department" will explore the problem of violence experienced by emergency nurses and how safety within the nation's emergency departments can be improved.

"As an organization that represents and supports a growing membership of 32,000 emergency nurses and their patients, the ENA is addressing the issues impacting our members, particularly workplace violence," says Donna Mason, 2007 ENA president. "By assembling our nation's emergency nursing leaders, ENA seeks to improve the patient experience by identifying effective practices for increasing patient and staff safety and alleviating the nursing shortage and emergency department crowding."

The 13th annual ENA Leadership Conference, which will start Thursday at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, will feature more than 70 workshops and presentations focused on potential and proven solutions for challenges to emergency care.

For more information on the ENA Leadership Conference, visit www.ena.org or call (800) 900-9659.

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