Violence against nursing workers in the COVID-19 pandemic: scoping review

Abstract

Objective

To map and synthesize the available scientific evidence on violence against nursing workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Scoping review prepared in accordance with recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute, carried out in the following databases; National Library of Medicine, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, Excerpa Medica DataBASE, PsycINFO – APA PsycNET and Latin-American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature. Studies addressing the theme of work-related violence against nursing workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, published in Portuguese, Spanish, or English, from 2020 and available in full were included. Partial research reports, editorials, response letters and abstracts of annals were excluded. Descriptive analysis was performed.

Results

Nine out of a total of 56 publications met the selection criteria, seven with high methodological quality and two with moderate quality. The phenomenon occurred in different countries around the world, the usual victims were nursing workers working on the front line, with less training time, and it was perpetrated by different actors. Psychosocial damage to workers and risks to patients were found.

Conclusion

Nursing workers suffered a high incidence of violence during the pandemic. The consequences of this violence were harmful to health, leading to the desire to leave the profession or affecting the physical or mental health of victims. The implementation of public policies and administrative strategies to reduce violence against this population in pandemic conditions were suggested as prevention and control measures.

Exposure to violence; Workplace violence; Nurses practitioners; Occupational health; COVID-19; Pandemics