Abstract
Proportion of health care workers of those who believe that the work in progress threatens their health and safety is higher than the average in other sectors. Workers in health care facilities are especially exposed to violence in the workplace [1]. The aim of the study was the evaluation of the presence of violence at work and determination of its effect on the working ability of health care sector workers. The study included the survey of 132 emergency department employees (doctors, physician assistants, nurses) from Kurzeme Region hospitals (Latvia). Questionnaire of violence in the workplace of the health care sector workers and the work ability index assessment questionnaire were used for the data collection. It was found that medical staff of health care establishments experience mostly verbal abuse (97%), less from physical attacks (36%), and intimidation/bullying (30%). The study found that medical personnel are aware of the changes implemented in the workplace (29%), there has been no change (33%), while the impact of changes implemented by medical staff at the workplace has not been experienced (47%). For personnel who have suffered from violence in the workplace, working capacity is generally lower than for the personnel that has not experienced violence in the workplace.
Highlights
Violence and stress in the workplace are serious threats for the companies and institutions, as well as for the society in general
The results showed that 57% of respondents who have not suffered from physical attack have not been absent from work due to sickness, but 42% of those who have suffered from physical attack have been absent from work for 10–24 days
The results showed that the staff, who have suffered from violence, have in general lower assessment of work abilities than the staff who have not experienced workplace violence
Summary
Violence and stress in the workplace are serious threats for the companies and institutions, as well as for the society in general. In the European Union, special attention is paid to the violations at workplace, to pursuit, intimidation and harassment the consequences of this – collapse of organization, disagreements among the staff, bad company image, absence from work or spending time at work, change of human resources, accidents at work, “burnout” and payment of compensations – are seen more and more frequently [2]. According to the world statistics data, chronic violence or victimization in the work environment (torture and intimidation) constitutes ca 18% of problems related with the psychosomatic health in the work environment that is the ground for being absent from work for up to two weeks [2]. C The Authors, published by EDP Sciences.
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