What steps are recommended to stop horizontal violence?

• A. Increase staff overtime and reduce training.
• B. Steps include implementing comprehensive prevention programs, providing education, and increasing penalties for assaults on healthcare personnel.
• C. Ignore reported incidents and rely on informal resolutions.
• D. Ban all talk about violence in the workplace.

Answer: (B)

Stopping horizontal violence relies on a proactive, system-level approach that creates a culture of respect and safety. Implementing comprehensive prevention programs provides clear policies, reporting mechanisms, and ongoing assessment so staff know which behaviors are unacceptable and how to seek help. Providing education equips nurses with skills to recognize relational aggression, intervene effectively, and support colleagues, including training in bystander intervention and de-escalation. Increasing penalties for assaults on healthcare personnel reinforces that violence won’t be tolerated and demonstrates leadership commitment, helping deter abusive behavior while protecting staff. Together, these elements address both the underlying issues and the response to incidents, fostering a safer, more respectful workplace. Strategies that reduce training, ignore incidents, or suppress discussion fail to address the problem and can make it worse.