Abstract
The study’s objectives were to: 1) use social support theory to examine factors influencing healthcare workers’ opinions about workplace violence (WPV) prevention strategies, and 2) to determine the types of support that general practitioners (GPs) and general nurses sought and expected to use after WPV exposure. A cross-sectional survey was used to assess a sample of 448 GPs and 412 general nurses from 90 township hospitals located in Heilongjiang province, China. Results revealed that workers exposed to physical, psychological or both WPV types had a strong opinion about the necessity of improving diagnosis/treatment competence, developing violence prevention guidelines and plans, using protective equipment, and reinforcing staff by providing back-up support. The last two strategies were also selected by tertiary hospital workers in our previous study. In addition, workers with high anxiety selected the following prevention strategies as most effective: improving doctor-patient communication skills; installing cameras on wards; keeping work areas bright; improvements in violence reporting, statistics, and interventions; security patrols in the key departments; reinforcing staff; and correcting inaccurate media perspectives and reports. The last four strategies were also selected by tertiary hospital workers. All respondents expected to receive organisational and social support. In conclusion, these prevention strategies should be tailored to the different requirements of specific populations. Furthermore, it is necessary for organisations, the public, and policymakers to provide powerful support in WPV prevention.
Highlights
Workplace violence (WPV) is a serious global public health problem and has attracted public attention[1, 2]
A total of 860 out of 990 questionnaires were returned from 448 General practitioners (GPs) and 412 general nurses
The majority of participants who exposed to psychological violence were general nurses (n = 135; 32.8%) or worked in shifts (n = 125; 32.2%)
Summary
Workplace violence (WPV) is a serious global public health problem and has attracted public attention[1, 2]. WPV is common in healthcare settings in China, placing healthcare workers at high risk. These assaults have included events leading to death or serious injury[4]. Since patients and their family members are the main source of violent incidents, this study focuses on these individuals [5]. In China, most existing research has focused on city rather than township hospitals[6]. Research in other countries has determined there is higher risk to rural GPs compared to city hospitals[7,8,9]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
