Date of Conferral

7-22-2026

Date of Award

July 2026

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Corinne Romano

Abstract

Workplace violence (WPV) in healthcare is a growing threat to caregiver safety, workforce stability, and patient outcomes. At a newly opened acute care facility, the absence of a comprehensive WPV prevention program posed a gap in practice, creating safety risks and regulatory vulnerability. A literature search was conducted using CINAHL, PubMed/ MEDLINE, ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health collection, and Google Scholar. A total of 50 articles were identified with 11 articles meeting all inclusion criteria. Collectively, findings supported comprehensive, multicomponent WPV prevention programs to integrate leadership engagement, structured governance, staff education, environmental controls, and continuous data monitoring to improve safety outcomes. The practice-focused question is the following: Does the development of a comprehensive workplace violence program impact staff's perceptions of safety? The program proposal includes implementation of standardized WPV policies, structured reporting processes, staff education training, leadership accountability, and a data-monitoring dashboard. Effectiveness will be evaluated using pre- and postimplementation comparison of incident reporting rates and staff safety perception survey scores. The WPV prevention program strengthens nursing practice by improving staff safety and confidence and allowing nurses to deliver high-quality care without fear of harm. The program advances access and engagement by ensuring all team members, particularly women and racial minority clinicians who experience unequal WPV risk, have equitable protection, support, and access to safe working conditions.

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