Workplace Violence among Healthcare Providers during the COVID-19 Health Emergency: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundWorkplace violence is an important challenge faced by healthcare providers, especially nurses, throughout the world. But this issue is neglected in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of workplace violence and associated factors against nurses working in public health facilities.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in public health facilities in Gamo Gofa zone from February to March 2018. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 354 study respondents from selected public health facilities. The data was collected using a self-administered, pre-tested, and structured questionnaire and analyzed by using SPSS version 21. Descriptive analysis was made and both bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression were applied to identify the factors associated with workplace violence against nurses.ResultsOut of the 348 participants, 150 (43.1%) nurses had experienced workplace violence. Among these, 47 (13.5%) had faced physical violence, 98 (28.2%) had verbal abuse, 36 (10.3%) were bullied/mobbed, and 25 (7.2%) faced sexual harassment at least once in the last 12 months. Patients’ relatives were the leading perpetrators in physical, verbal violence, and bullying, accounting 55.3%, 46.9%, and 36.1%, respectively. Female nurses (AOR=1.98; 95% CI=(1.21, 3.25), those who live without a spouse (AOR=1.98; 95% CI=(1.22, 3.22), those who drink alcohol (AOR=1.88; 95% CI=(1.03, 3.44), and those who chew chat (AOR=3.24; 95% CI=(1.25, 8.45) were more likely to suffer from workplace violence in public health facilities.ConclusionThe prevalence of workplace violence against nurses was high. In addition, the characteristics of the occurrences of different types of violence are different beginning from the perpetrators’ characteristics to the measures taken by the nurses. In addition, sex, marital status, drinking alcohol, and chewing chat were found statistically significant factors influencing workplace violence against nurses.

Purpose: This study investigated the prevalence and perceptions of workplace violence against registered nurses (RNs) in hospitals.Methods: One thousand RNs replied to a nationwide survey from November 14 to December 22, 2022. They reported their general characteristics, prevalence of and their responses to different types of workplace violence from patients, family caregivers, physicians, and nurse peers, as well as their perceptions of workplace violence management systems.Results: A total of 71.1% of the RNs reported that they had experienced workplace violence in the last six months. The violence and sexual harassment experienced from patients and family caregivers were 57.3% and 19.1%, respectively. Furthermore, violence, sexual harassment, and workplace harassment from physicians were experienced by 24.6%, 4.0%, and 7.4%, respectively, of the RNs, and those from nurse peers by 21.4%, 3.1%, and 11.3%, respectively. The RNs stated that they often responded to workplace violence with passive and inactive behaviors, which were more serious toward physicians’ workplace violence or sexual harassment from different perpetrators. Only 69.5% were aware of their hospital’s workplace violence management systems, while only 14.7%~27.4%, according to the type of hospital (<i>p</i>=.471), perceived the systems as effective. Multiple important strategies were identified to prevent workplace violence.Conclusion: Critical suggestions are discussed for the prevention of workplace violence, including protecting the human rights of healthcare professionals, inter-organizational collaboration, and a culture of person-centered healthcare, and training nurse managers’ competency in managing workplace violence.

To systematically identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative studies investigating Registered Nurse students' (RNS) experiences of workplace violence (WPV) while on clinical placement. It is expected that the literature review findings will guide the development of targeted programs and policies to address WPV against RNS. WPV affects RNS during clinical placements as they are vulnerable to violence due to their limited experience and skills to challenge abusive behaviour. In this review, RNS are students enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing program to become registered nurses and exclude students who are enrolled in nursing program that does not lead to registration as a registered nurse. For example, enrolled in nursing programs and postgraduate nursing programs. RNS are chosen for their scope of practice and the training requirements. RNS reported experiencing WPV mainly from colleagues, staff, teachers, doctors and supervisors, which resulted in leaving nursing practice, impacting students' progression and healthcare systems. This review examines all types of violence RNS face irrespective of the abuser. A qualitative systematic review of existing literature was conducted through a comprehensive database search of eight databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Central and ProQuest. Furthermore, reference lists of included studies were searched to identify further research. English language qualitative primary studies of any study design were searched from inception to 6th June 2022 and included if they met the inclusion criteria. Double review process utilised from screening until data synthesis reported according to PRISMA. JBI critical appraisal tools were used to assess the studies, and data extraction utilised JBI QARI tool and screened for credibility and confidence in findings. A total of 18 studies met the inclusion criteria, and the studies were conducted in nine countries. Five main themes relating to RNS experiences of WPV while on clinical placement were identified, including: 'Types of workplace violence', 'Perpetrators', 'Causes', 'Consequences' and 'Management of workplace violence'. This qualitative systematic review provides new and significant knowledge in understanding the phenomenon of WPV experienced by RNS while on clinical placement. This review highlights the unwillingness of RNS to reach out to instructors or clinical placement leaders in many situations and identifies avenues of support and awareness that are crucial to empower and enabling students to seek support.

Background/Aims Workplace violence against healthcare staff is global problem, with serious implications for the safety and wellbeing of healthcare professionals. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of workplace violence in hospital settings and the circumstances surrounding it, as well as staff members' responses, coping mechanisms and available support in Jordan. Methods This descriptive exploratory study used a retrospective cross-sectional design, collecting data from 651 healthcare workers with an online survey. Multiple-choice items were used to collect information on respondents' experience of workplace violence, including the nature of the incident, the impact and support received. 5-point Likert scales were used to measure respondents' emotional response to incidents and their level of satisfaction with how it was handled by managers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data, with SPSS version 25. Results Nearly half (n=316, 48.5%) of the 651 participants had experienced workplace violence in the previous 1 year, with verbal violence being the most common type. Perpetrators of violent incidents were most commonly patients' friends or relatives (32.3%) and patients themselves (31.4%). The most common reasons for not reporting the incident was the perception that doing so was unimportant or useless. Many felt dissatisfied with their organisation's handling of the incident (46.8%), with only 7.0% feeling very satisfied. Conclusions Violence against healthcare staff is unacceptably common, reflecting the impact of this global problem on hospitals in Jordan. This study also found negative perceptions of reporting incidents. This reflects the need for more effective violence prevention measures to ensure that healthcare staff are safe in the workplace and feel able to report incidents when they do occur. Implications for practice The high prevalence of workplace violence found in this study underline the need for zero-tolerance policies to ensure a safe workplace. This could include establishing effective and accessible reporting systems and implementing regular training on how to manage workplace conflicts and violence.

Our study aims to describe the status of workplace violence against medical students during clinical practice, which consists of its prevalence, types, perpetrators, students’ responses and influences on them, reasons for workplace violence and to determine some relevant factors of this issue through both quantitative questionnaire and qualitative interview. A descriptive cross-sectional study with mixed methods was conducted on 320 students from the second-year to the sixth-year classes at Hanoi Medical University from August 2022 to February 2023. The questionnaire was based on the WHO questionnaire survey ‘Workplace violence in the health sector – country case studies research instruments – Geneva 2003’. 10 students from quantitative research who completed the questionnaire, experienced at least one type of workplace violence and consented to continue taking part in the research were chosen for in-depth interviews. The prevalence of students witnessing and/or experiencing workplace violence was 35.6% and 19.4% of the sample population had experienced at least one kind of workplace violence. Medical staff were the most common perpetrators. 86.8% of students who were exposed to workplace violence did not report the incidents for a variety of reasons. The major reasons leading to workplace violence related to patients, patients’ relatives and students, among which the first-ranked ones were the patients’ education level and their unsatisfied expectations. Some relevant factors to workplace violence against medical students were determined by quantitative analysis such as students’ grade (OR = 3.09) and region (OR = 3.31) and were explored additionally by qualitative interview such as the student management of the instructors, students’ personality, attitude and appearance as well as hospital environment. Based on the research findings, establishing prevention methods, which require action from both individuals (students, medical staff) and organizations (universities, hospitals) is recommended.

BackgroundWorkplace violence (WPV) is a widespread phenomenon in healthcare systems and an increasingly severe occupational health and safety issue. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of WPV among novice and senior nurses and to explore the associations between this factor and various types of workplace violence, workplace characteristics, and professional seniority levels while simultaneously identifying relevant risk factors.MethodsThe participants in this cross-sectional descriptive survey study were recruited via a convenience sampling approach between February and May 2021. The sample ultimately included 1000 full-time registered nurses who were recruited from a medical center in Taiwan. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect participants’ experiences of workplace violence. A variety of data were collected, including demographic characteristics, work characteristics, WPV experiences, job control, workplace justice, and psychological job demands. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used in this research.ResultsNearly 50% of the nurses experienced at least one episode of workplace violence in the last 12 months. Among the types of workplace violence, verbal violence had the highest prevalence, followed by physical violence. High psychological job demands and low workplace justice were associated with workplace violence. After adjustment for demographic characteristics and psychosocial work conditions, novice nurses were more likely to experience workplace violence, particularly psychological violence, than senior nurses were.ConclusionsWorkplace violence is prevalent among Taiwanese nurses, in which context novice nurses are particularly vulnerable. Addressing high levels of psychological job demands and enhancing workplace justice can help mitigate workplace violence. Effective policies are needed to empower nurses and reduce violence.ImpactOur findings highlight the persistence of workplace violence among nurses, indicating a need to promote healthier work environments. These results offer insights that nurse leaders and policymakers can use to improve workplace characteristics by promoting work autonomy, establishing a safe culture, and ensuring effective violence management, thereby potentially mitigating nurses’ exposure to workplace violence and reducing their turnover intentions.

BackgroundWorkplace violence is widespread, but studies on workplace violence against health professions in outpatient settings are sparse. We aimed to examine, for the first time, the prevalence of workplace violence against medical assistants as well as potential sociodemographic, occupational and health-related correlates of the exposure to workplace violence.MethodsWe used data from a survey (03–05/2021) among medical assistants in Germany (n = 424). We assessed the 12–month prevalence (yes/no) of verbal violence, physical violence, and sexual harassment as well as the types of perpetrators of workplace violence. Further, information was gathered on sociodemographic (e.g., age, educational level), occupational (e.g., years in job), and mental health-related factors (i.e., anxiety, depression). The 12–month prevalences of the different types of workplace violence were merged into a single variable (“any workplace violence” vs. none) for association analysis. We ran multivariable Poisson regression models to examine potential associations between sociodemographic and occupational correlates (i.e., independent variables) with any workplace violence as dependent variable and in addition between any workplace violence (independent variable) and dichotomized mental health as dependent variable.ResultsOverall, 59.4% of the medical assistants reported verbal violence, 5.9% reported physical violence, 3.8% reported sexual harassment, and 60.1% reported any workplace violence in the previous 12 months. Patients were reported to be the main perpetrators, followed by patients’ relatives. Younger age, being single, and working in a medical care center were sociodemographic and occupational correlates of workplace violence (PRs ≥ 1.27). Workplace violence was significantly associated with mental health variables (PRs ≥ 1.72).ConclusionMedical assistants experience workplace violence, in particular verbal violence. To devise preventive measures, prospective studies are needed to confirm the potential risk groups for workplace violence and the potential mental health sequels of workplace violence observed in our study.

To assess the associations between bullying and violence at work and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Participants were 79201 working men and women, aged 18-65 years and free of CVD and were sourced from three cohort studies from Sweden and Denmark. Exposure to workplace bullying and violence was measured at baseline using self-reports. Participants were linked to nationwide health and death registers to ascertain incident CVD, including coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Study-specific results were estimated by marginal structural Cox regression and were combined using fixed-effect meta-analysis. Nine percent reported being bullied at work and 13% recorded exposure to workplace violence during the past year. We recorded 3229 incident CVD cases with a mean follow-up of 12.4 years (765 in the first 4 years). After adjustment for age, sex, country of birth, marital status, and educational level, being bullied at work vs. not was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.59 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28-1.98] for CVD. Experiencing workplace violence vs. not was associated with a HR of 1.25 (95% CI 1.12-1.40) for CVD. The population attributable risk was 5.0% for workplace bullying and 3.1% for workplace violence. The excess risk remained similar in analyses with different follow-up lengths, cardiovascular risk stratifications, and after additional adjustments. Dose-response relations were observed for both workplace bullying and violence (Ptrend < 0.001). There was only negligible heterogeneity in study-specific estimates. Bullying and violence are common at workplaces and those exposed to these stressors are at higher risk of CVD.

BackgroundThe prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) is high (54%) in Bangladesh. Moreover, female garment workers report higher rates of IPV and are also vulnerable to workplace violence (WPV). Experience of violence puts women at increased risk of developing depressive symptoms, which are related with low self-esteem, lower life satisfaction and lower productivity. To our knowledge, there has been no previous research on depression among female garment workers and its connections to IPV and WPV in Bangladesh. This paper aims to address this gap by studying the relationship of IPV, WPV and depression among female garment workers.MethodsThe data for this paper comes from a cross-sectional survey of female garment workers (n = 800) conducted as baseline survey of a quasi-experimental study known as HERrespect. Survey data were collected during September-December, 2016 among randomly selected female garment workers from eight garment factories in and around Dhaka city. Structural equation modelling was conducted to explore the relationship among IPV, WPV and depression.ResultsThe findings show high rates of any IPV (69%); WPV (73%, experienced or witnessed) and depressive symptomatology (40%) among female garment workers. The analysis of pathways shows that IPV impacts a woman’s experience of WPV and work related stress leading to the development of depression; while WPV had direct and mediated pathways to depression. Experience of controlling by their husband leads to WPV and increased work related stress, and thus leads to depression. It also reveals that a worker’s ability to mobilize resources in emergency, however, increased self-esteem and reduced work related stress.ConclusionThis study shows the pathways through which experience of IPV and WPV lead to development of depressive symptoms among female garment workers. The link between women’s ability to mobilize resources with self-esteem and work related stress indicates the need for socio-economic empowerment of women and may suggest that combined intervention to address IPV and women’s empowerment could be successful in dealing with WPV and mental health.

BackgroundViolence against healthcare workers is highly prevalent globally. The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new stress to patients and healthcare workers. Research on healthcare violence has identified workplace stress as a...

Aim: The aim of the research is to reveal the prevalence of violence against police officers and to examine the effect of being subjected to violence on their mental health. Methods: The sample of the research consists of 339 police officers working in different duty areas. Questionnaire technique was used to collect data in the study. The questionnaire form consists of two parts. In the first part of the questionnaire, there are questions to determine the demographic characteristics of the participants (age, gender, marital status, education level, working year, etc.). In the second part of the questionnaire, there are questions to measure workplace violence and the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale. SPSS 23.0 package program was used in the analysis of the research data. Frequency distribution, descriptive statistics and t-test were used in the analysis of the data. Results: In the current study, it has been determined that 39.2% of police officers have been exposed to at least one type of workplace violence in the last 1 year. It was observed that the most common type of violence was verbal violence (28.9%). The results show that exposure to workplace violence negatively affects the stress and depression levels of police officers. Conclusion: Research results show that workplace violence is an important risk factor for police officers. Being exposed to violence also negatively affects the mental health of police officers. These results show the importance of implementing policies to prevent violence against police officers. Keywords: Police Officers, Workplace Violence, Stress, Depression And Anxiety

Objective To investigate the prevalence and influential factors of workplace violence (WPV) against nurses in general hospitals of Suzhou. Methods A total of 2110 staff nurses from 13 general hospitals in Suzhou were investigated with the Modified Version of Hospital Workplace Violence Questionnaire. Results During the past one year,68.9% (1 454/2 110) nurses investigated suffered from WPV.Working departments,marital status, strong support,etc,were the leading impact factors of WPV. Conclusions Nurses′experience of WPV is a prevalent phenomenon in general hospitals of Suzhou. It is urgent for hospital administration to raise attention to WPV and take effective measures,to reduce the occurrence of WPV. Key words: Hospital, general; Nurses; Violence; Influencing factors

Why Won’t It Stop: Workplace Violence in Emergency Care

BackgroundWorkplace violence severely impacts individual nurses. With the three-child opening policy of China and the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic in the recently years, obstetric nurses face the double attack of heavy workload and staffing shortage. This study aimed to evaluate the current situation of workplace violence among Chinese obstetric nurses under the new situation, assess the level of violence prevention knowledge-attitude-practice and climate perception in Chinese obstetric nurses and explore the correlation between workplace violence and the level of violence prevention knowledge-attitude-practice and climate perception.MethodsA cross-sectional survey on the workplace violence for Chinese obstetric nurses was conducted from August to February 2023. All the questionnaires came from 10 provinces and 3 autonomous regions in China. The basic characteristics of obstetric nurse’s workplace violence, workplace violence prevention knowledge-attitude-practice scale and workplace violence climate perception scale were collected.ResultsTotally, 522 Chinese obstetric nurses were included. 55.0% of obstetric nurses (287) had experienced workplace violence in the past 12 months, including verbal assault (40.4%), physical assault (34.1%), and sexual assault (31.0%). The overall level of obstetric nurses’ workplace violence prevention knowledge-attitude-practice and climate perception of workplace violence was low. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the violence prevention knowledge dimension significantly influenced obstetric nurses’ workplace violence (B = -0.278, P < .001), attitude dimension (B = -0.241, P < .001), behavior dimension (B = -0.216, P < .001) and the violence climate perception’s organizational management (B = -0.177, P < .001), organizational training (B = -0.175, P < .001), organizational support (B = -0.143, p < .001) and the violence handling (B = -0.165, P < .001).ConclusionThe incidence of workplace violence among obstetric nurses in the new situation is high. However, the overall violence prevention knowledge-attitude-practice and climate perception levels are low. Therefore, nursing managers should take targeted measures according to the relevant influencing factors and the characteristics of obstetrics to improve the level of obstetric nurses’ violence prevention knowledge-attitude-practice and climate perception to reduce workplace violence among obstetric nurses.

Workplace violence towards psychiatric nurses by psychiatric patients is common, which can potentially affect care quality as well as nurses' health. This study aimed to synthesize the literature on workplace violence towards psychiatric nurses and identify the prevalence and factors influencing workplace violence and related outcomes. PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE and PsychINFO were searched for English articles on workplace violence against psychiatric nurses published from January 2011 to December 2020. Sixteen articles were selected for the systematic review. This was followed by quality assessment and data extraction. The workplace violence prevalence ranged 11.4-97.6%. Diagnosis of the patient; nurse-related factors such as age, sex, marital status, education, emotional intelligence level and personality; and work shift were associated with the occurrence of workplace violence. Psychiatric nurses who experienced workplace violence had primarily poor mental health such as depressive symptoms and negative work-related outcomes such as turnover intention. The results revealed that there were relatively few patient-related factors associated with workplace violence and few reports on workplace violence-related to nurses' physical health, suggesting the need for a multi-dimensional approach. Future studies are needed to develop standardized instruments for workplace violence investigation considering inpatients psychiatric settings. Effective workplace violence prevention strategies should consider comprehensive patient-, nurse- and occupation-related factors.