Sticks and Stones: A Scoping Review of the Impacts of Bullying within the Nursing Profession on Pain Management

Bullying within the nursing profession is widespread, with observable negative impacts upon physical and psychological health, greater job dissatisfaction and attrition, and higher organisational costs. Importantly, bullying is linked to errors in treatment, medication, adverse events and lower patient satisfaction. However, it is not clear whether this includes negative impacts upon pain management. This scoping review aimed to explore what is known about the bullying behaviours and their impact on pain management in nursing practice. A detailed search was performed using PubMed, Scopus and CINAHL electronic databases. Following screening and full-text review, zero articles met inclusion criteria - identifying a nil result outcome. Having used rigorous search methods, we contend that this appears to be a genuinely under-researched phenomenon. Although each element has received attention in research and subsequently appears in the literature, as a discrete phenomenon, it appears to represent a newer emerging field. We explore the nature of bullying behaviours and consider their potential impacts upon pain management practices by nurses, including lower quality practice and poorer patient outcomes. This article provides a foundation for future inquiry and encourages greater integration of consideration of bullying into the pain management discourse.