Background & Aim: Workplace violence, particularly in emergency departments, is a global issue and a significant public health priority. Nursing, especially in emergency settings, is one of the professions with the highest reported rates of violence. This violence has serious impacts on the mental health and work quality of nurses, making effective interventions to reduce it essential. The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate various interventions to reduce violence against nurses and improve their working conditions.
Materials & Methods: This study was conducted by searching databases including Google Scholar, Magiran, Scientific Information Database (SID), Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed using keywords such as "violence", "nurses", "emergency department", and "intervention methods" between 2014 and 2024. Out of 4,075 identified articles, after removing duplicates (1,043 articles) and irrelevant studies (3,193 articles), abstracts were screened. Ultimately, 116 articles were selected for eligibility assessment, and 19 articles were included in the study. The quality of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE checklist (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations). This checklist was used to assess randomization, risk of bias, and generalizability of results. Articles were selected based on criteria such as being interventional, having full-text availability, focusing on violence against nurses in emergency departments, and being in Persian or English. Articles without full-text access or those that were conference papers or letters to the editor were excluded from the review process.
Results: In the 19 reviewed studies, all participants were nurses working in emergency departments. The studies were designed as experimental, quasi-experimental, and two studies used a mixed-methods approach combining quasi-experimental and qualitative methods. Interventions included in-person and online training, managerial and environmental changes, anger and behavior management, risk assessment protocols, preventive protocols, communication skills, triage algorithms, and simulations.
Conclusion: Training in communication skills and anger management, along with improving the work environment, can significantly reduce violence against emergency nurses. Continuous training programs and managerial changes such as risk assessment and improving working conditions can be effective in preventing violence. Additionally, establishing supportive policies and cultures to encourage reporting of violent incidents is of great importance. Through comprehensive programs and innovative technologies, safer conditions can be provided for nurses.