Nurses and midwives' union calls out 'gendered violence' after survey
Annalise has been kicked, punched and even bitten on the face while working as a nurse. Her experience is reflected in the Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union's latest report into occupational violence in healthcare settings.
A Queensland Nurses and Midwives Union survey reveals that 80% of its members have experienced workplace violence in the past year. Union secretary Sarah Beaman emphasizes that assaults, particularly against female-dominated professions like nursing, are severely underreported. Annalise, a 29-year veteran nurse, recounted being punched, kicked, spat on, and bitten by a patient, with management telling her to "stick an alco wipe on it" and continue working.
Despite reporting such incidents, nurses often face normalization of violence, as seen in Annalise's case. The union's tri-annual survey, mirroring data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, highlights that verbal abuse is the most common form of violence (74%), followed by physical attacks (35%). Most physical assaults are inflicted by patients, especially in aged care facilities with cognitively impaired individuals.
Beaman stresses that the situation is a crisis, not just an emerging issue. She calls for stronger reporting requirements, enhanced security measures in healthcare settings, and the expansion of the Healthcare Ambassador program, which has seen the addition of 104 ambassadors at over 70 clinical areas since the government initiated the program.
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