Högskolan i Skövde

Every day media reports acts of violence in various kinds. Crime statistics shows that threats and violence are increasing in regard to both frequency and intensity within the nation. Nurses in the ambulance service are often the first to meet with a patient, therefore these nurses often find themselves in situations where violence and threats occur or have occurred. Drug addiction or some kind of illness are often reasons behind threats and violence.

Earlier studies within this area of knowledge are mostly foreign and therefore little describes Swedish nurses` experiences of threats and violence within the ambulance service.

The purpose of this study was to describe nurses experiences of threats and violence in the meeting with patients within the ambulance service.

The study is a qualitative interview study performed within the School of Life Sciences at the University of Skövde. Six nurses were interviewed with the criterion that they should have experienced threats and violence within their occupation. The primary information was analyzed with a qualitative method.

The result showed that threats and violence occur within the occupation and that the nurses feel exposed for the same. It indicated that the types of threat vary and that the education concerning how threats and violence should be handled is considered poor by the nurses themselves. The result also showed that the patient care is affected by the amount of threats and violence that the nurses are exposed to.

There is a need for further research within this area of knowledge and within education in how to handle these situations for personnel in the ambulance service.