• Adrian Ortega, Karl B Christensen, Annie Hogh, Reiner Rugulies, and Vilhelm Borg.
• Universidad Tecnológica del Centro, Departamento de Ciencias Administrativas y Gerenciales. Guacara, Venezuela. adryortegaro@gmail.com
• J Nurs Manag. 2011 Sep 1; 19 (6): 752-9.

AimsTo examine the effect of workplace bullying on long-term sickness absence using a prospective design.BackgroundAlthough bullying has been identified as a serious problem in the health care sector, little attention has been given to the possible effect of workplace bullying on long-term sickness absence and its implications.MethodsThe sample consisted of 9949 employees (78.1% response rate) working in the elderly-care sector in 36 Danish municipalities. Long-term sickness absence was measured by linking a survey on work and health to the national register on social transfer payments.ResultsAmong the 1171 employees that were bullied at work in the past 12 months, 1.8% were frequently bullied and 7.3% were occasionally bullied. The risk of long-term sickness absence was higher for those frequently bullied even after adjusting for psychosocial work characteristics [rate ratio (RR) = 1.92, confidence interval (CI): 1.29-2.84; P < 0.05].ConclusionThis is the first prospective study that explored the effect of both frequent and occasional bullying on long-term sickness absence among health care employees. The effect of frequent bullying on long-term sickness absence was independent of the psychosocial work characteristics.Implications For Nursing ManagementWorkplace bullying might impact negatively the quality of care and patients safety.2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

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