Abstract:

Violence against nurses is one of the most important problems in health care institutions. Among healthcare workers, nurses are the most exposed to verbal and physical violence. This study aimed to determine the level of exposure of nurses to physical and verbal violence in Turkey. The research data obtained by a systematic review method and quality evaluation were made. The level of exposure of nurses to physical and verbal violence was determined by the meta-analysis method. In meta-analysis, random effects model was chosen and event rate statistics were used in the effect type. Heterogeneity between the studies was evaluated using I2 test. To determine publication bias, the funnel graph, Egger's linear regression, and Begg and Mazumdar sequence correlation tests were conducted. According to the findings obtained from meta-analysis, the nurses' exposure to physical violence score was 0.19 (CI; 0.12-0.28; p <0.05), and verbal violence exposure score was 0.79 (CI; 0.71-0.85; p <0.05) and it was determined that there was no publication bias in the research. It was determined that the level of exposure of nurses to verbal violence is higher than physical violence. Hospital management should take measures to prevent nurses from being exposed to physical and verbal violence and necessary sanctions should be applied within the framework of legislation for those who commit violence.

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