Workplace violence (WPV) is a serious and growing problem for healthcare workers. Workplace violence includes acts of incivility, bullying, verbal and physical aggression, threatening words or actions, sexual harassment, and physical assaults. Although WPV research has grown in recent years, there has been a lack of opportunities for WPV researchers in the healthcare sector to meet and share findings, theories, and models. Currently WPV researchers are few and scattered throughout the U.S. Now more than ever there is a critical need for a U.S. based conference to be held where the leaders, innovators, educators, and researchers can come together to network, build multi-disciplinary teams, and share strategies, potential solutions, educational materials, best practices, and findings related to the prevention, management, and recovery associated with WPV. The proposed conference is specifically relevant to the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) specific plan and strategy to promote safe and healthy workplaces. The specific objectives of this conference are to (1) Discuss the current epidemiology of incivility, bullying, verbal and physical aggression, threatening words or actions, sexual harassment, and physical assaults enacted against healthcare workers, (2) Evaluate intervention programs aimed at preventing and reducing the incidence and sequelae of workplace violence against healthcare workers by visitors, patients, coworkers, and intimate partners, and (3) Analyze whether the questions raised during the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center summit of 2000 have been addressed. The 2 1/2 day conference will include four keynote speaker/plenary sessions, paper sessions, three poster sessions, a researcher networking session, and a panel discussion aiming to build consensus regarding the state of the science for WPV research. The conference planning committee will be a multi-disciplinary group with representatives from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and psychiatry/psychology. The 1st and 2nd specific aims/conference objectives will be evaluated by the conference program evaluations. A mean score of 3.00 or greater (Likert scores ranging from 0-strongly disagree to 4-strongly agree) will indicate successfully meeting the specific aims. Transcripts for the panel discussion will be summarized and documented in the conference's final report. The final report will address the 3rd specific aim by reflecting the state of the science for WPV research relating back to the 2000 WPV summit report.
The Healthcare and Social Assistance Council established a National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) specific plan and strategy to promote safe and healthy workplaces. The objectives of this conference grant submission will meet the NORA plan and strategy by discussing the epidemiology and evaluating intervention programs related to workplace violence.
