Creating respectful workplaces for nurses in regional acute care settings: A quasi-experimental design

Aim: To examine self-reported exposure and experiences of negative workplace behaviour and ways of coping of nursing staff before and after educational workshops. Design: A Quasi-experimental design.

Method/Setting/Participants: Data were collected pre- /postworkshops using a structured questionnaire. Nurses (N =230) from 12 units in four regional acute care hospitals were invited to complete a pre-intervention survey. Educational workshops were then implemented by the organization at two of the hospitals, after which, follow-up surveys were undertaken.

Results: There were 74 responses in the pre-intervention and 56 responses in the postintervention time period. There were 111 participants who attended the educational intervention, 20% (n =22) completed the follow-up survey. Participants were more likely exposed to work-related bullying acts and they used problem-focused coping strategies and sought social support as a way of coping when exposed to the negative behaviours. Overall, there was a decrease in both bullying and incivility experienced by participants; however, our findings were unable to establish that a statistically significant difference was made due to the implementation of the intervention.

Study Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (Registration No. ACTRN12618002007213; December 14, 2018).