Anti-Bullying and Work Quality Improvement Initiative Essay

Introduction

Lateral violence is one of the most critical problems of modern medical institutions. This type of abuse, also called horizontal, is a type of bullying that occurs between peers at the same level (Oh, Uhm & Yoon, 2016). Given the specifics of the work of nurses, conflicts of this kind negatively affect both the whole process of work and the health of patients in particular. The purpose of this paper is to describe the problems and dangers of lateral violence, identify its sources, and make recommendations for improving work conditions for nurses.

Clinical Issue

The stated problem is not a new phenomenon; however, due to the nurses’ shortage, more attention has recently been paid to this problem. Researchers discovered that the percentage of nurses who experience lateral violence is significant, and it is growing. According to Sanner-Stiehr & Ward-Smith (2017), over four years of research, the rate of nurses who changed jobs due to bullying increased by four percent. However, organizations often aim at conducting activities that combat the consequences, not the causes of violence (Sanner-Stiehr & Ward-Smith, 2017). Because of this, the scale of the problem only increases every year.

Root Causes

A literature review was conducted to analyze this problem in detail and to find the root causes. According to researchers, the reasons for lateral violence contain many aspects, from the personality characteristics of a person to the cultural issues of the studied country. Thus, according to Oh, Uhm & Yoon (2016), in comparison to Western countries, cases of physical violence among nurses in Korean hospitals occur much more often.

There is also the problem of pressure from the authorities, and, lastly, the age factor can play a massive role in lateral violence as well. Young nurses are twice as likely to encounter bullying from their older colleagues, and this is almost universally observed (Oh & Yoon, 2016). The list of possible causes is, in fact, extensive, and to no small extent, it depends on what country and the social situation in the region the researcher studies.

Aggregate Data

Aggregated data includes research from various scholars collected in three articles from journals such as the Journal of Nursing Management, the Journal of Professional Nursing, and the Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice. Among these articles, extensive statistics are presented that allow us to conclude about the prevalence of the problem of lateral violence, its dynamics, and possible forecasts. These articles were obtained during the search for relevant resources over the past five years.

List of Major Barriers and Facilitators

Each organization has specific barriers and facilitators that interfere or, conversely, facilitate communication between different levels of staff. The following list of obstacles can be distinguished regarding nurses and medical institutions:

1. Unwillingness to interact with superiors;
2. Fear of becoming an outcast in a group of colleagues by making close contacts with superiors;
3. The reluctance of the authorities to notice and solve the problems of lower layers of stuff.

In contrast, the following list of facilitators can be considered:

1. Special services responsible for communication within the organization;
2. Third-party services to protect the rights of employees;
3. Loyal and respectful colleagues from among senior managers.

Recommendations and Conclusion

After analyzing the problem and its sources, we can derive the following list of suggestions:

1. Preparing future nurses in advance for a possible collision with lateral violence via simulations of real working conditions (Sanner-Stiehr & Ward-Smith, 2017);
2. Involving students in the actual workflow;
3. Ensuring maximum communication between different levels of staff to reduce conflicts (Pfeifer & Vessey, 2017).

In conclusion, it is worth noting that finding a solution to the problem of bullying and lateral violence is a daunting task since there is no easy answer. For this, it is necessary to use all resources, both educational and administrative. However, achieving positive results is possible through the joint work of leaders and medical workers and the creation of a culture based on mutual respect.

References

Oh, H., Uhm, D. C., & Yoon, Y. J. (2016). Factors affecting workplace bullying and lateral violence among clinical nurses in Korea: Descriptive study. Journal of Nursing Management, 24(3), 327-335.

Pfeifer, L. E., & Vessey, J. A. (2017). An integrative review of bullying and lateral violence among nurses in Magnet® organizations. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 18(3), 113-124.

Sanner-Stiehr, E., & Ward-Smith, P. (2017). Lateral violence in nursing: Implications and strategies for nurse educators. Journal of Professional Nursing, 33(2), 113-118.