Nurses’ Experiences of Workplace Violence in Kashan/Iran: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Background: Nurses are at a high risk of workplace violence (WPV). This phenomenon is largely dependent on the sociocultural conditions. Objectives: This study explained the experiences of nurses about the WPV in medical, surgical, and emergency departments of a general hospital in Kashan, Iran, in 2017. Methods: In a qualitative content analysis, 13 nurses who had the experience of WPV were invited to participate in semi‑structured interviews. The interviews were analyzed through conventional qualitative content analysis using the method suggested by Graneheim and Lundman. Results: Four themes were extracted from the interviews. The themes were: “violent behaviors,” “antecedents of violence,” “violence management,” and “violence outcomes”. Conclusion: WPV had many forms, antecedents, and consequences. Training the personnel and developing a committee for evaluating the incidents can prevent the occurrence of the violence.