As nurses, we're often terrified to work, because of the fears identified by Sandra Thomas in "Horizontal Hostility" (Professional Development, October 2003). This raises the following questions: How can one know if an employer or coworkers will be abusive? Can the ANA's Code of Ethics be used by a nurse against an employer? Should we inform consumers that horizontal hostility and violence, bullying, abuse, and harassment of nurses might contribute to the nursing shortage and lower quality care? Nurses may not be willing to publicly address phenomena such as horizontal hostility yet I believe the only way to deal with this type of abuse is to tell consumers of its potential consequences.

Thomas's willingness to speak openly in AJN is the first step in raising nurses' consciousness about horizontal hostility. Abuse is abuse, whether it's practiced in the home or workplace.

Edna Harder Mattson, MDE, BN, RN