Workplace bullying among Korean registered nurses: A meta-aggregation of qualitative studies / 한국간호교육학회지

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#This study aimed to conduct a qualitative synthesis of workplace bullying experiences among nurses in Republic of Korea. @*Methods@#Following the PRISMA guideline, a literature search was conducted using seven domestic and three international databases. Studies published in Korean or English from inception to December 31, 2022 were included. A meta-aggregation approach suggested by the Joanna Briggs Institute was used to synthesize the research findings. @*Results@#Fourteen studies were included in this review. As a result of a data analysis of the selected studies, 199 subthemes and supporting illustrations were identified and grouped into 36 related categories. Based on the subthemes and categories, five synthesized findings were developed (1) the individual and organizational causes of workplace bullying; (2) the various types of physical violence and psychological harassment; (3) the negative impact of workplace bullying and its effect on self-growth; (4) active and passive coping efforts in dealing with bullying; and (5) strategies for preventing bullying incidents. @*Conclusion@#Based on the synthesized findings, four recommendations were made (1) improving the challenging working conditions for nurses; (2) enhancing educational programs for new nursing graduates; and (3) promoting proactive responses from nursing managers in conjunction with an expansion of resilience training for nursing students. Finally, to address the issue of workplace bullying, (4) multi-center and multi-level research involving nursing organizations needs to be conducted.