Prevalence and forms of work place abuse among nurses and midwives working within and around Kampala

Abstract

Introduction. Globally work place abuse has been documented among nurses and midwives and its associated with decrease in the quality of nursing care provided in hospitals. However, there is limited information and data about work place abuse in Uganda thus this study sought to document the prevalence and forms of work place abuse among nurses and midwives working within and around Kampala in Uganda. Methodology. A cross sectional study was conducted with 240 nurses and midwives. Participants were enrolled through peer referral from facilities within and around Kampala. We ascertained prevalence and forms of work place abuse through a self-administered questionnaire. We analyzed data descriptively and presented it in form of tables, pie charts and bar graphs. Results. Of the participants 98(40.8%) had observed work place abuse while on duty. Among those who reported experiencing work place abuse 31.5%had experienced it in the last 6-months and 23.3% in 12 months prior to the study. The commonest forms of work place abuse were verbal abuse (74.5%), physical abuse (6.1%), psychological abuse (18.4%) and sexual abuse(1%) . The frequently cited abusers were: nurse in charges (35.6%), doctors (21.9%), fellow nurses (20.5%) and patient relatives (5.5%). Conclusion. 3 in 10 nurses working within and around Kampala have experienced abuse in the last six months. The commonest forms are verbal and psychological mainly by the nurse in charges, doctors, senior nurses and administrators.