Abstract
Workplace violence in healthcare settings is a common global problem, including in Bangladesh. Despite the known presence of workplace violence in healthcare environments of developing countries, there is limited understanding of factors that lead to hospital violence in Bangladesh. This study aims to explore factors that influence incidents of violence against healthcare professionals in Bangladesh, as reported by doctors via social media forum. Content analysis was conducted on 157 reported incidents documented on “Platform,” the online social media most used by medical students and doctors in Bangladesh. Posts by doctors detailing experiences of physical or verbal violence at their workplace between July 2012 and December 2017 were included in this study. The majority of reported incidents were reported by male doctors (86%) and from government hospitals (63.7%). Findings showed that primary healthcare centers experienced more violence than secondary and tertiary facilities. This may largely be due to insufficient human and other resources in primary care settings to meet patient demand and expectations. Most of the events happened at night (61%), and as a result, entry-level doctors such as emergency duty doctors and intern doctors were commonly affected. Six themes were identified as vital factors in workplace violence against doctors: patients’ perspectives, delayed treatment, power practice, death declarations, extreme violence, and care-seeking behaviors. Most incidents fell under the categories of delayed treatment and power practice at 26.8 and 26.1%, respectively. This study identified possible factors for reported violence in hospital settings. To address and reduce these incidents, hospital administrators should be aware of risk factors for violent behavior and design appropriate measures to prevent workplace violence. Further qualitative and quantitative research is needed to appropriately address the consequences of violence on healthcare workers and implement measures to mitigate these events.
Highlights
Workplace violence (WPV) in healthcare settings is becoming a global problem that traverses geographic borders and is indiscriminate of levels of care (Fernandes et al, 1999; Kowalenko et al, 2005; Behnam et al, 2011; Wu et al, 2012; Arnetz et al, 2015; Kumar et al, 2016; Abdellah and Salama, 2017)
According to a national survey conducted in the United States (US), 78% of emergency department doctors confirmed that they were the target of workplace violence
Among the 157 total incidents, the male and female doctor’s ratio was 86% (135) and 14% (22), respectively (Table 1). In these 157 incidents, we found that a total of 165 doctors got injured from different levels of healthcare facility centers
Summary
Workplace violence (WPV) in healthcare settings is becoming a global problem that traverses geographic borders and is indiscriminate of levels of care (Fernandes et al, 1999; Kowalenko et al, 2005; Behnam et al, 2011; Wu et al, 2012; Arnetz et al, 2015; Kumar et al, 2016; Abdellah and Salama, 2017). 75% were categorized as verbal assault, 21% were physical assault, 5% were confrontations outside of the hospital facility, and 2% were cases of abuse or harassment (Behnam et al, 2011). Another US-based study revealed that nearly 75% of interviewed doctors had faced verbal threats at least once in the past twelve months (Kowalenko et al, 2005). A study conducted by the British Medical Association (BMA) in the United Kingdom (UK) found that one-third of the doctors interviewed had faced WPV in the past year (Pitcher, 2008). Any suffering related to the workplace can demotivate the healthcare providers, affecting the quality of care (Sánchez-Hernández et al, 2020)
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