On November 14 and 15, members of the SATSE Union of Catalonia completed aggression prevention and control training alongside Emergency Staff. The clinical approach of our course “Management of Agitated and/or Aggressive Patients”—which seeks to anticipate and de-escalate potential aggression—has always been clear, as reflected in the positive feedback from session trainees.
The SATSE union presented findings from a nationwide macro-survey on assaults against nurses, revealing that seven out of ten nurses suffered assaults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly eight out of 10 nurses feel that workplace climate and patient relations worsened across hospitals, health centers, and social care facilities over the two pandemic years. 98 percent of nurses surveyed by the Nursing Union demand nationwide legislation to combat physical and verbal abuse against healthcare personnel through joint, coordinated, and effective measures.
Presented in Madrid on March 9th, 2022, data showed seven out of ten nurses nationwide suffered physical or verbal aggression from patients or family members over the previous two years as healthcare systems confronted the COVID-19 pandemic, while nearly eight out of ten professionals felt workplace atmosphere and patient rapport deteriorated during this period.
These preliminary findings stem from the nationwide SATSE survey across Autonomous Communities, assessing physical violence (pushing, striking, punching…) and verbal abuse (threats, insults, harassment…) experienced by nursing personnel delivering care in hospitals, primary care centers, and social care facilities.
According to SATSE, the initial findings overwhelmingly confirm that physical and verbal assaults affect most nursing professionals. Despite public applause at the pandemic’s outset, violence remains a critical issue requiring urgent action.
The Nursing Union emphasizes that while public frustration over systemic healthcare deficits (exacerbated by the pandemic) is understandable, taking it out on frontline workers is unacceptable. Nurses are not responsible for resource shortages and continue striving to maintain patient care quality despite years of pandemic exhaustion.
Specifically, seven out of ten nurses reported experiencing physical or verbal abuse from patients or relatives over the past two years—“a deeply concerning figure placing workplace violence among the primary risks to their physical, psychological, and emotional health,” the union stressed. Likewise, 77 percent believed workplace dynamics worsened due to high workload, clinical pressure, and severe nurse staffing shortages. Given this troubling reality, 98 percent of nurses surveyed nationwide support passing a national law to establish a unified framework for preventing assaults and ensuring swift intervention when incidents occur—a demand shared by SATSE, which submitted a comprehensive legislative proposal featuring over 50 preventive measures prior to the pandemic.
In response, the Catalonia trade union has begun implementing preventive measures, including training in Agitated/Aggressive Patient Management, aimed at early detection of hostile scenarios before they escalate into physical or verbal abuse.
En el sector del ocio, la formación continua es la mejor herramienta de prevención.
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