Abstract
Background and Objectives: Although anyone working in hospital may become victim of physical and verbal violence, nurses who have direct contact with patients and their relatives are at high risk. The aim of this study was determination‘ of nature and extent of violence toward nurses in hospitals.
Materials and Methods: This descreptive study was carried out on 468 nurses working in hospitals in East Aazarbaijan. The data were collected through modified "workplace violence in health sector Questionnaire" after obtaining validity and reliability through test-re-test.
Results: Most violences toward nurses were verbal, physical, racial and sexual violence, respectively. Most perpetrators were relatives of patients. Reaction of most nurses was “told the person to stop”. Report of incidence and organization reaction against violence was low.
Conclusion: Findings from this study are consistent with previous researches. We suggest, preventive affairs and development new protocols for reporting of violence incidence, so that can improve workplace safety and quality of care.