Nurses’ Bullying Experiences: A Case study of a Caribbean Major Island Hospital

PURPOSE: The study was aimed at determining the self-reported experiences of the nurses in the major Island hospital in The Commonwealth of The Bahamas with regard to workplace bullying and their assessment of the support they received following the experience. METHODS: A descriptive quantitative case study was undertaken using all the registered nurses in the Island Hospital. The study utilized a modified pre-validated instrument from the International Labour Office (ILO), International Council of Nurses (ICN), World Health Organization (WHO), and Public Services International (PSI). Analysis was done using the SPSS version 20. The result was presented as frequencies. RESULTS: Eighty-one (81) respondents completed and returned their copies of the questionnaire giving a response rate of 97.5%. Also, 85.2% of the respondents reported having moderate bullying experience while 14.8% reported having maximum bullying experience. As it relates to the self-reported support for bullying, 60.5% of the respondents indicated that they received little support following a bullying experience. Further, 39.5% reported that they received some support following a bullying experience. There was no significant relationship between the respondents’ demographics and their self-reported experience of bullying or support following a bullying experience (p≤ 0.05). RECOMMENDATION/DISCUSSION: Among others, we recommended that a more deliberate policy instrument be developed for dealing with cases of bullying and to monitor the use of this instrument, noting that the mental health of the nurses are also at risk. CONCLUSION: The study revealed that bullying was reportedly high while measures to support staff were reportedly low, a combination the investigators see as concerning in the Island Hospital.