Bullying In Nursing Research

Research is vitally important in virtually every career. With new advancements in technology and new insight into policies and procedures, it is important that every profession keep up with current research. However, nowhere is current research more essential than in the healthcare field. It is not enough to simply read research; applications to practice must be considered and made. One of the topics of research that is of particular interest to nurses is bullying in the workplace. Bullying, defined as frightening, hurting, or threatening others (Bully, 2014), is no longer confined to the school playground, as was once believed. Indeed, it has spread to millions of workplaces and is occurring with alarming frequency; a United States survey from 2014 indicated that twenty-seven percent (27%) of workers had been bullied in the workplace (U.S. Bullying Survey, 2014, p. 3). While still a high percentage, that number has come down by ten percentage points from 2007 …show more content…
A topic of research that is of interest to those in the nursing profession is bullying in the workplace because of the high incidence of bullying among nurses. Nurses must first recognize what bullying looks like. Bullying behaviours include verbal abuse, excessive monitoring of work, and with-holding information, among others. Nurses must also realize that bullying in the workplace also affects patients and patient care. A rather high percentage of nurses perceived that disruptive behaviour had contributed to adverse events related to patient care. Finally, organizations and everyone within the organization must be familiar with ways to decrease bullying in the workplace. Strategies that were identified included having a policy in place that addresses bullying behaviour, education on ways to combat disruptive behaviour, and encouraging employees to report inappropriate