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AIM: The purpose of this article is to describe how regional community assessment survey data specific to healthcare workers' (HCWs') attitudes and actions related to workplace violence (WPV) from 1 participating urban tertiary hospital was compared with current evidence to identify evidence-based interventions to promote a safer work environment. The regional survey assessed real-time data regarding the state of WPV and its impact on HCWs, and to drive proposed interventions to prevent and reduce WPV in the healthcare community. BACKGROUND: Incidents of WPV in healthcare continue to increase, resulting in calls for action from staff, leadership, and regulatory organizations. METHODS: Data were collected from the HCWs who completed the survey. Experiences with WPV were analyzed. Qualitative data were evaluated for themes. A review of external evidence was conducted to identify best practices in preparing proposed next steps for the organization. RESULTS: Healthcare worker attitudes and practices related to WPV were described as unreported and not addressed. Violence was more readily perceived as a part of the job. External evidence indicated that education and training alone seemed to have minimal effect on preventing WPV. Evidence from best practices and staff feedback were recommended to be incorporated into plans for the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize research topics for nursing administration and leadership science. BACKGROUND: Nursing administration and leadership research priorities should provide a framework for building the science needed to inform practice. METHODS: The Association for Leadership Science in Nursing (ALSN) and American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Foundation (AONL-F) for Nursing Leadership and Education collaborated on a Delphi study. Initial input on research priority items were received from ALSN and AONL members. National experts participated in a 3-round Delphi study. RESULTS: Top-ranked priorities included: 1) nurses' health, well-being, resiliency, and safety in the work place; 2) developing and managing a nursing work force to meet current and future healthcare needs; 3) healthy work/practice environments for direct care nurses; 4) healthy work/ practice environments for nurse leaders; 5) quantification of nursing's value across the healthcare delivery system; and 6) nurse leader development and essential competencies. CONCLUSIONS: Researchers and funders should use these priorities to guide future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the experiences and learnings of 2 ambulatory care nurse leaders on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic using the theory "navigating through chaos" as a framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between organizational safety climate (OSC), in-hospital mortality (IM), and failure to rescue (FTR) in 2 hospitals, 1 with and 1 without crew-resource-management training. BACKGROUND: OSC is 1 of the most important organizational factors that promotes safety at work; however, there is a lack of research examining the relationship between OSC and patient deaths in hospitals. METHODS: We utilized a matched 2-group comparison of surgical patients and surveyed surgical staff to assess the relationship between OSC, FTR, and IM. RESULTS: The OSC assessment was completed by 261 surgical team members. A total of 1764 patients had at least 1 FTR complication; however, there was no association between OSC with FTR or IM for either hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Nurse leaders should remain vigilant in building work teams with strong hospital safety climates. More research is needed to explore the relationship between OSC and patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Survey items on the Healthy Work Environment Scales (HWES) for nurse leaders (NLs) and direct care nurses (DCNs) were developed using statements from 2 qualitative research studies conducted in a healthcare system. PURPOSE: The purposes of 2 quantitative studies were to develop items on the HWES for NLs and DCNs, to assess the validity and reliability of these new tools, and to describe the NLs and DCNs perceptions of a healthy work environment (HWE) using nonexperimental descriptive designs. METHODS: Each research study had 2 separate phases. In phase 1 of the studies, NLs and DCNs assigned each item to 1 of the 8 characteristics of an HWE to assess face validity. Content validity was determined by calculating the scale content validity and item content validity indices. Based on these results, the items were revised or deleted to obtain version 3 of both tools. In phase 2 of the studies, principal component analysis (PCA) assessed the validity of the tools, Cronbach's α served as the test for reliability, and the NLs and DCNs perceptions of an HWE were measured. RESULTS: Samples included 314 subjects for the HWES for NL study and 986 subjects for the HWES for DCN study. Principal component analysis for the HWES for NLs (version 3) revealed 40 items comprising 4 components, and PCA for the HWES for DCNs (version 3) revealed 39 items comprising 5 components. Internal consistencies of the tools were 0.974 and 0.957, respectively. Based on the findings of these studies, the tools demonstrated promising psychometric properties to measure a HWE in acute care settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Healthy Work Environment Assessment Tool was developed as a simple screening tool to assess the characteristics of a healthy work environment (HWE) in critical care environments. PURPOSES: The purposes of these 2 qualitative research studies are to explore the nurse leaders' and direct care nurses' perceptions of the meaning of a HWE, to describe the nurse leaders' and direct care nurses' perceptions of a HWE, and to define the characteristics of a HWE in acute care settings. METHODS: Exploratory descriptive designs using focus groups and guided questions with tape-recorded interviews were used to define the characteristics of an HWE. RESULTS: The 6 original themes from AACN HWE standards and 2 new themes emerged as a result of the nurse leaders and direct care nurses defining the characteristics of a HWE, which included appropriate staffing, authentic leadership, effective decision making, meaningful recognition, skilled communication, true collaboration genuine teamwork, and physical and psychological safety. The qualitative statements from these 2 studies will be used in future studies to describe and develop HWE scales for nurse leaders and direct care nurses and to assess the psychometric properties of these new tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses strategies to sustain the successful implementation of the Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA) in Dementia Care program. Topics covered include the person-centered approach to caring for dementia and delirium patients, the clinical nurse specialists (CNS) from complex continuing care, and occupational therapists and physical therapists as champions of GPA.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to identify which components of a system-wide safe patient handling (SPH) program reduced musculoskeletal injury (MSI) due to patient handling among nurses. METHODS: The 3-year longitudinal study from 2008 to 2011 used a pretest-posttest design. The study was conducted in the Veterans Health Administration, and all medical centers participated. The outcome was 2011 MSI incidence rates due to patient-related handling for nurses, expressed as injuries per 10 000 full-time employees. RESULTS: Three organizational risk factors, bed days of care, facility complexity level, and baseline MSI incidence rate, were significantly associated with MSI incidence rate and explained 21 % of its variation. Five SPH components, including deployment of ceiling lifts and other new technologies, peer leader effectiveness, competency in SPH equipment use, facility coordinator link with safety committee, and peer leader training, uniquely accounted for an additional 23 % of the total variation. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide evidence to support the effectiveness of a multicomponent approach to SPH programs given contextual considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various articles within the issue on topics including safe work environment for healthcare providers, and lateral and interprofessional aggression in healthcare organizations.