Only recently, has occupational violence been recognized as a major public health problem. While there is an emerging literature pertinent to work-related homicides, there is a serious deficiency in the knowledge of nonfatal work-related violence and the impact of violence prevention training and policies. This proposed study is designed to identify the relation between (1) work-related violence prevention policy, (2) violence prevention training, and the outcome of work-related violence against nurses. This study is based on data collected for theRisk Factors for Violence Against Nurses study (RFVAN). The population consists of registered and practical nurses who were licensed in Minnesota as of October 1, 1998. Initially, a survey instrument was sent to a random sample of nurses (n=6,300) in the state to identify persons who did and did not experience work-related violence within a 12-month period. From this sample, a nested case-control study was incorporated to examine the relation between certain hypothesized risk factors and work-related assault injuries. For each case, three controls are sampled from the population at-risk during the study period. Cases and controls are sent questionnaires to obtain data on work-related exposures, including the characteristics of individuals in the workplace and surrounding environmental factors. Cases are questioned about their exposures in the month prior to the incident; controls are questioned about their exposures during a randomly selected month from the study period to provide the person-time exposure information. Validity relevant to selection bias and information bias is evaluated through sub-studies. The current proposed study will examine, in depth, the relation between work-related violence prevention policies and training, and work-related assault injuries, based on data collected in the RFVAN case-control study. The proposed study design will enable calculation of rate ratios for the effect of work-related violence prevention policy and violence prevention training on the rate of injury. Multivariate analysis (logistic regression) will be performed to examine these relations. From these results, specific prevention and control strategies can be developed more realistically.
