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Abstract
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The recent alleged murder of a psychiatric nurse practitioner by a patient in a nonprofit halfway house/detoxification center has prompted psychiatric nurses to discuss the risk of workplace violence, and community and hospital settings. June Onkundi had lengthy experience as a psychiatric nurse and had worked in the detox center for 3 months. A doctoral student in nursing, she was allegedly stabbed by her own patient, who has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond (Gaines, October 21, 2022). This editorial will discuss existing literature concerning violence against psychiatric nurses in clinical settings.
Dr. Chizimuzo (Zim) Okoli's (2023), American Psychiatric Nurses Association's (APNA) President, Board of Directors Column included in this issue of JAPNA addresses the issue of "inclusive mental health care that is appropriate from the patient's perspective." He points out that the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2021) notes that inclusion involves the intentional development of organizational and environmental cultures that encourage thriving by inviting, welcoming, acknowledging, and embracing diverse perspectives and experiences. Dr. Okoli speaks of the nurse being responsive to the patient's wishes. This prompted some thought about the precise circumstances or situations where a psychiatric nurse is seriously harmed or murdered, especially in a more unstructured community setting such as a patient's residence. What were the common issues that led up to an event like the one involving June Onkundi, and could the violence have been prevented? While the event might have been random and out of the nurse's control, nurses need to be aware of situations when a patient's psychiatric presentation makes them at risk of becoming violent. Nurses recognize that the patient's mental status and experience of hallucinations or delusions can contribute to making the patient feel threatened, fearful, and, therefore, more likely to become assaultive (Dean et al., 2021; Goetz & Taylor-Trujillo, 2012)--importantly, what administrative protocols exist to protect nurses from threatened aggression.
The psychological effects of workplace violence and psychiatric nurses have been reported in the literature by many researchers (Edward et al., 2016; Hamrin et al., 2009; Jacobowitz, 2013; Jalil & Dickens, 2018; Spaducci et al., 2018). The causes of violent patient reactions are multifaceted and varied, but there are few studies that specifically identify the psychiatric nurse's experience with workplace violence (Konttila et al., 2020).
Language: en |