As much as 91.3 percent of 483 nurses have noticed or experienced lateral violence, shows a survey conducted in Croatia last year, the Sestrinski Glasnik nursing magazine reported in its latest issue.

Harassment in the workplace is most frequent in the health system and nurses are the most vulnerable, being four times more exposed to various forms of violence than most other professions.

Lateral violence is defined as non-physical, aggressive, hostile, and/or harmful behavior between coworkers.

According to the Agency for Quality and Accreditation in Health and Social Care, medical staff experienced 300 verbal and 720 physical attacks in hospitals in 2017. A study conducted in the eastern Croatian city of Osijek that year showed that 64 percent of respondents was exposed to yelling or other irrational outbursts, while 68 percent said they heard gossip about themselves.

Also, 110 of 275 respondents said they experienced harassment in the workplace in the last six months, while 18% experienced three or more undesirable events weekly.

Asked how often they saw their coworkers commit lateral violence, 46 percent of respondents said it occurred on a daily basis.

Overtime work, working in shifts, night work, responsibility in decision making, contact with patients and their families, and the emotional exhaustion of medical staff contribute to an increase in mental and psychosomatic illnesses.

Harassment can also cause serious depression and low self-esteem among nurses. Those who often experience lateral violence pay less attention to their patients and nursing duties, which may result in mistakes in treating or the harming of patients.

Admitting these problems may be part of their solution, the authors of the survey say. They advocate raising awareness of lateral violence and recognising it, and underline the need for constant training about civil behaviour in team communication in healthcare.