Why nurses do not report patient aggression: A review and appraisal of the literature

Aim To establish the current state of the science about why nurses do or do not report being the victim of patient aggression, a form of type II workplace violence. This aim includes identifying and analysing current gaps in the literature. Background It is increasingly more common for patients to instigate aggressive acts towards nurses, leading to significant consequences. Nursing victims often do not report acts of patient aggression to others, making it difficult for health care leaders and researchers to address this challenge. Evaluation The review process involved searching five databases, using the PRISMA framework to reduce 355 records to 65 sources for review and synthesis. Key Issues The findings of this review highlight key takeaways about why nursing victims do not report episodes of patient aggression, which include their fears, attitudes and abilities related to reporting; and their perspective of the patient aggression event. Workplace environments are central to most of these factors, emphasizing the importance of nursing and other health care leaders to put systems in place that promote nurse reporting behaviours. Conclusions Patient aggression is a widespread problem with severe consequences. Review findings can inform future research while having practical relevance for health care leaders. Implications for Nursing Management Health care leaders need to consider how workplace structures, practices, and cultures can encourage or stifle nurse reporting behaviours. By understanding nurse reporting behaviours, processes can be developed to promote nursing victim reporting and deter patient aggression.