Exam 25: Workplace Violence and Incivility

Caroline asks family members to leave while she cares for the 16-year-old victim of a recent car accident.The father screams at her and tells her that she has no right to ask his family to leave,and that if she continues to do so,he will "throw her out of the room." Caroline is shaken and tells her head nurse,who tells her that this kind of thing is just part of the job.The guidance of the head nurse

Many inaccurately believe workplace violence to be related specifically to

Reza,RN,works as a staff nurse in the mental health department; Sharon works as a data entry clerk in the admissions department; Sarah is an emergency room physician; and Donna is a housekeeper in the geriatrics department.Which of these four is most at risk for violence and aggression?

In which of the following situations would you,as the head nurse,be concerned about potential safety issues?

In the emergency department waiting room,you notice a patient sitting,with his head in his hands,who has been waiting for about 5 hours for relief of his headache.When you approach him to ask him how he is doing,he says,"I can't believe that I have to wait this long for help! Do you know what it is like to be in pain for 10 hours?" Your response to him would be

A safety and security plan is important to a health care organization because it

Aishwarya is involved in intervening when a patient attempts to harm herself on the unit.During the interaction,the patient slaps Aishwarya across the face.It is important that the head nurse

At 3 a.m.,a man walks into your emergency department.He paces back and forth in the waiting area before he approaches staff to ask if he can see his wife,who is a patient on another floor.He speaks rapidly,his face is flushed,he glances around often,and he keeps his hand in his jacket pocket.A best initial response would be to

Sabotage is an example of which type of violence?

In addressing a high staff turnover rate that results from violence on a nursing unit,you are

Delaney,one of your staff nurses,confides that Marjorie,another nurse,has been actively telling others that you are incompetent,that you do not know what you are doing in relation to patient care,and that you lie to the staff about attempts to get more staffing.Through telephone calls and conversations during breaks,she is recruiting other staff to her position.Delaney confides that most staff members find you fair,honest,and knowledgeable.Marjorie's behaviour can best be characterized as

In designing a new health care facility,it is particularly important to pay close attention to safety elements related to violence and aggression in which of the following settings? (Select all that apply)

You are part of a multidisciplinary team that is charged with designing a workplace safety plan for your health care organization.This team has been established in response to increases in reports of violence and aggression.You begin designing the safety plan by

Reza,RN,works as a staff nurse in the mental health department; Sharon works as a data entry clerk in the admissions department; Sarah is an emergency room physician; and Donna is a housekeeper in the geriatrics department.Which of the four is most likely to be a perpetrator of violence?

Jay,a newly graduated registered nurse (RN),has just begun work on an acute care nursing unit.As a nurse manager,you know that new graduates are most likely to experience

A patient who has a history of involvement with drugs and weapons comes up to you in the hallway and asks you a question regarding directions in treatment.When you respond,he moves closer in to you and puts both hands up on either side of your neck.No one else is in the hallway.Your best response at this point is to

During coffee and other breaks,Rosalie,the new RN,is excluded from conversations with the other staff.When she approaches other staff on the unit to ask questions,they turn and walk off in the other direction.The behaviour of the staff is characteristic of

Your health care organization places a high value on workplace safety and integrates this into all aspects of administrative and patient care processes.As a unit manager,you thoroughly endorse this direction,and during the selection and hiring of new staff,you consistently

Jorge and Carol,two of the RNs on Unit 22,are discussing recent incidents on the unit in which patients and visitors uttered threats or made demeaning remarks to staff during evening hours.Jorge observes that unless someone shoots at him,he is not concerned because "words can't hurt you." Jorge's remarks

Canadian knowledge of the scale of workplace violence in health care remains incomplete because