Exploring perceptions of reporting violence against healthcare workers in the emergency department: A qualitative study

•Violence against healthcare workers (HCWs) is a pervasive and dangerous problem.•HCWs’ perspective on reporting violent events vary with impact and absolving factors.•Reporting is facilitated by ease in the process and leadership support.•Barriers include knowledge gaps, organizational culture and sense of futility.•Targeted strategies can promote staff reporting of violence. Violence against healthcare workers is a pervasive, yet in many cases, under-reported problem. This is due to various factors, including lack of time, support and a universal understanding of what constitutes a reportable event. This study explored facilitators and barriers to reporting workplace violence among emergency department nurses. In this descriptive, qualitative study, researchers conducted open-ended interviews with emergency nurses considered to be “high-” and “non-reporters” of violent events and analyzed for themes. Participants cited consistent factors associated with less reporting, factors associated with more reporting and effectiveness of existing safety measures. To encourage the reporting of violent events, frequently cited barriers and facilitators should be addressed. Strategies such as integrating reporting mechanisms into the health record, creating nuanced definitions of reportable events, and consistent education with positive feedback can promote reporting by staff. These efforts should be combined with prevention strategies to ensure we are collecting correct data about the success or failure of these programs.