Commentary: A rapid evidence assessment on prevention and reporting in nurses experiences of workplace violence

This rapid review extrapolates 16 papers from a larger review (n = 44) to identify strategies which could aid the prevention, and improve reporting, of workplace violence for the nursing workforce.The authors aimed to extract evidence to improve nurse well-being and workplace safety by providing decision-makers with appropriate evidence to make timely and informed judgements on the topic of workplace violence specifically for nurses.The synthesis of findings presents multiple sub-themes which are attributed to prevention (n = 6) and reporting (n = 3) of workplace violence.In the prevention category, actuarial risk assessment tools, desired leadership behaviours, nurse workplace violence training, a prevalent lack of time, lack of integration of security staff (despite their support for nurses), and the Safewards Model are discussed.In the reporting category, organisational culture and processes in place to support staff were examined; high levels of tolerance by nurses to workplace violence and overly burdensome reporting procedures were also identified as factors adversely influencing and challenging staff.While the sub-themes within the literature are classified separately, there are several major connections which form commonalities across this review namely: leadership, organisational culture and available time, as being significant factors linking the workplace violence concerns identified.Leadership, organisational culture and available time combine many diverse factors which can determine an overall response to workplace violence.Although lack of available time is indicated to influence whether or not assessment models are effectively utilised in clinical settings, there are many violence risk assessment tools which require potential testing in practice.Once the feasibility is established, it is perfectly possible to establish the best fit of tool to context, which would preserve valuable time and promote usage, while the safety of nursing staff is prioritised with an organisation.Moreover, this would aid areas where patient acuity and turnover are very high -such as emergency departments.Lack of time was also a factor cited to potentially inhibit training of newly employed staff, and there was a need to understand the effectiveness of training.Time is a precious and multifaceted commodity which is influenced by the availability and capability of the