Caregivers facing violence in long‐term care setting: A cross analysis of incident reports and caregivers speech

BACKGROUND: Workplace violence is frequent, especially in long‐term care, but often unreported. AIMS: The aim of this study is to identify workers experiences and coping strategies when they face physical aggression from residents and assess the value of incident reports for violence follow‐up. METHODS: This mixed method study is based on incident reports collected over 3 years from two different long‐term care geriatric facilities in France and thematic analysis of 20 semi‐structured interviews of nurses and nursing assistants. RESULTS: The reported frequencies of physical aggression among respondents range from none to daily aggression. Only 76 incident reports were submitted. Aggressions were under‐reported by caregivers who often felt guilty for not having avoided them. Coping strategies included banalization and seeking support from colleagues. Incident reports can constitute a warning signal for the management team but are not a reliable tool for workplace violence follow‐up. CONCLUSIONS: Our study emphasizes the complexity of workplace violence prevention in long‐lerm care settings. Proposals can be formulated to train and support caregivers, but a shift from a task‐oriented organisation to a patient‐centred approach seems necessary to reduce violence. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Situations to be reported should be better defined, aggression reporting encouraged and judgmental attitudes toward reports discouraged.