THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 40 | MARCH 2026 Statements or opinions expressed in the Oklahoma Bar Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff. Health Law Pillars Under Pressure: The Epidemic of Violence Against Nurses By Layla J. Dougherty VIOLENCE AGAINST NURSES IS AN ESCALATING CRISIS IN HEALTH CARE. Nurses are the foundational pillar of our health care system, providing the largest share of direct patient care and spending more time with patients than any other health care discipline.1 This increased contact with patients and visitors exposes nurses to high-risk situations that endanger their safety. Hospital settings have one of the highest incidences of workplace violence.2 Workplace violence in nursing is defined as “any act or threat of verbal or physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the worksite with the intention of abusing or injuring the target.”3 THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM The statistics are alarming. On average, two nurses are assaulted every hour in the United States. The rate of serious injuries related to workplace violence is six times higher for hospital workers compared to all other private sector employees, with as much as 80% of incidents going unreported.4 The American Hospital Association reports that health care workers suffer more workplace violence than any other profession.5 Since 2020, health care workers worldwide have reported a staggering uptick in violence, with nurses experiencing the most dramatic increase.6 This surge has become one of the leading factors in nurse burnout.7 With minimal improvement in safety over the past five years, nurses are now seeking support from their communities through collective action. At the time of this writing, nurses are striking in Michigan, California and New York, while strikes have been authorized or completed in Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, Maine, Louisiana, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. All these labor actions cite nurse safety as a central concern. CONSEQUENCES FOR NURSES AND PATIENTS When nurses feel unsafe in the workplace, the consequences extend far beyond the immediate incident. After experiencing or witnessing violence, nurses report reduced sleep, disrupted eating patterns and increased risk of mortality associated with disease.8 These factors accelerate nurse burnout and lead to declining quality of patient care, which, in turn, drives more nurses to leave the profession. Workplace violence is directly linked to poor patient outcomes, unhealthy work environments, health care errors, decreased service quality, lack of job satisfaction and high employee turnover. Nurses who have suffered violence in the workplace commonly report anxiety, depression and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
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