Studies show that workplace violence can hurt care quality and reduce nurses' level of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, according to the American Nursing Association.
Here are eight statistics taken from 2013-18 research about workplace violence:
1. Seventy-six percent of registered nurses report experiencing workplace violence, according to a 2014 study published in the Journal of Emergency Nursing.
2. The study found 54.2 percent of nurses experienced verbal abuse from patients and 29.9 percent experienced physical abuse.
3. Nearly 33 percent of nurses reported verbal abuse by visitors and 3.5 percent reported physical abuse by visitors.
4. The most common acts of violence against nurses were shouting/yelling (60.0 percent by patients and 35.8 percent by visitors), swearing (53.5 percent by patients and 24.9 percent by visitors), and grabbing (37.8 percent by patients and 1.1 percent by visitors), according to the study.
5. On average, nurses only report 20 percent to 60 percent of workplace violence incidents, according to the ANA.
6. In addition, 13 percent of nurses' missed work days are due to workplace violence, the organization found.
7. Eighty percent of serious violent incidents reported in healthcare settings involved patients in 2013, according to data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
8. In 2016, 16,890 workers in the private industry experienced workplace violence that required days away from work. Of those victims, 70 percent worked in the healthcare and social assistance industry, according to the CDC.