Risk Factors For Workplace Violence Research Articles

Guarding the Vulnerable: Perceptions of Security and Workplace Violence in Pediatric and Gynecological Care Settings of Karachi

Background: Violence in the workplace against medical professionals is a serious problem, especially in developing nations like Pakistan. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the opinions of medical professionals regarding Karachi's current hospital security protocols and pinpoint opportunities for enhancement.
 Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 414 healthcare providers from public and private hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan was undertaken. The participants' sociodemographic characteristics, encounters with workplace violence, evaluations of hospital security measures, and recommendations for enhancement were all encompassed in the questionnaire. The data were analysed utilising descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multinomial logistic regression.
 Results: A significant proportion of the participants expressed discontentment with security standards, citing insufficient staffing (71.7%), absence of monitoring systems (72.7%), and inadequate access control guidelines (64.7%). A greater frequency of reported workplace violence was substantially correlated with overall dissatisfaction with security (82.3% vs. 58.1%, p < 0.001). The results of multinomial logistic regression showed that being a nurse (OR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.12-2.68) and being dissatisfied with security measures (OR = 3.21, 95% CI: 1.87-5.52) were independent risk factors for workplace violence. Increasing security staff, improving surveillance systems, and fortifying access control protocols were among the recommendations for improvement.
 Conclusions: Improved hospital security measures are essential to address workplace violence against healthcare providers in Karachi. Implementing the recommended strategies can create a safer work environment and enhance the quality of patient care.
 Keywords: Workplace violence, healthcare providers, hospital security, Karachi, Pakistan, perceptions.

Workplace violence against Chinese licensed doctors: a cross-sectional study.

China has issued and implemented a series of policies aimed at preventing and controlling workplace violence (WPV) against licensed doctors. However, the prevalence of WPV has not been fundamentally curbed. The aim of this study was to present the prevalence of WPV, identify its influencing factors and propose responsive measures. The online Chinese Physician Practice Survey was conducted with purposive sampling method among licensed doctors in China from January 2022 to June 2022. Data covered licensed doctors' sociodemographic characteristics, occupational characteristics, prevalence of WPV, and perception of effective countermeasures. A total of 74,305 licensed doctors participated in this study. A total of 44.88% of respondents had experienced WPV, among them, either physical violence only (1.06%) or non-physical violence only (89.91%) or encountered both of them (9.03%). Age, gender, marital status, education level, professional title and registration type were all associated with WPV, being younger, non-married, more educated, and higher professional title are all risk factors for WPV. Male (OR = 1.396, 95CI%: 1.355 to 1.439), clinicians (OR = 1.342,95%CI: 1.177 to 1.529), who were single (OR = 1.174, 95%CI: 1.111 to 1.241), with master's degree (OR = 2.021, 95%CI: 1.739 to 2.349) and professional title were subsenior (OR = 1.194, 95%CI: 1.125 to 1.267) were most likely to occur WPV. WPV occurred mostly in provincial capitals, public hospitals, primary and community hospitals, and departments of internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, emergency medicine and mental health. Overall, 44.24% of doctors perceived that strengthening crackdowns on criminal behaviors was the most effective measure to prevent WPV against healthcare staff. The frequency of WPV decreased after the implementation of relevant laws and policies. Future efforts should be made to strengthen crackdowns on illegal and criminal activities and to issue specific legal provisions on the prevention and control of WPV against doctors.

The Risk Factors for Workplace Violence Against Nurses and the Prevention Strategies in Public Health Facilities in Anambra State

Aim: This study determined the risk factors of workplace violence against nurses and the prevention strategies in public health facilities in Anambra State. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted in conducting the study among nurses working at public secondary and tertiary levels of care facilities in Anambra State. The multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 5 facilities and a sample size of two hundred and ninety-two nurses. The research instrument was adapted from the WHO standardized questionnaire on workplace violence and the Statistical Software Package version 16.0 was employed for the data analysis. Results: The results revealed that the highest risk factor for the nurses’ experience of workplace violence was staff shortage followed by prolonged waiting time and reporting workplace violence is the highest preventive strategy for workplace violence. Conclusion: The menace of workplace violence against nurses will be curtailed by mitigating the risk factors and implementing preventive strategies.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Workplace Violence in the Ambulance Service

Introduction:Workplace violence within the ambulance services is a serious problem. A prevalence of up to 8.5% of all ambulance missions has previously been reported. Prior research used a retrospective design and the knowledge of risk factors for workplace violence is weak. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to measure the prevalence of workplace violence within the ambulance service in a Swedish region.Method:This was a prospective cohort study using data from all ambulance missions in a region in Sweden during one year. The data was analyzed with descriptive and analytic statistics using SPSS.Results:Data was collected from 28,648 ambulance missions. A total of 209 unique workplace violence incidents were reported, corresponding to a prevalence of 0.7%. Seventy-three of all incidents reported physical violence and 161 verbal threats, where some of the incidents included both physical and verbal violence. The most common risk factors for workplace violence were: the perpetrator was under the influence of alcohol or drugs (70.5%), mental illness (60.5%) and communication problems (15.3%). The perpetrator was most often a man (n=68%) between 18 and 29 years of age. Co-variation between the risk factors was high. No significant differences in the occurrence of workplace violence could be seen in relation to time of the year, weekday, or time of day.Conclusion:The prevalence of workplace violence was one of the lowest reported. An understanding of risk factors could be used within the ambulance service and dispatch centers to identify situations with an increased risk of workplace violence and mitigate the risk of such incidents.

Predicting Workplace Violence in the Emergency Department Based on Electronic Health Record Data

IntroductionEmergency departments are extremely vulnerable to workplace violence, and emergency nurses are frequently exposed to workplace violence. We developed workplace violence prediction models using machine learning methods based on data from electronic health records. MethodsThis study was conducted using electronic health record data collected between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2021. Workplace violence cases were identified based on violence-related mentions in nursing records. Workplace violence was predicted using various factors related to emergency department visit and stay. ResultsThe dataset included 1215 workplace violence cases and 6044 nonviolence cases. Random Forest showed the best performance among the algorithms adopted in this study. Workplace violence was predicted with higher accuracy when both ED visit and ED stay factors were used as predictors (0.90, 95% confidence interval 0.898-0.912) than when only ED visit factors were used. When both ED visit and ED stay factors were included for prediction, the strongest predictor of risk of WPV was patient dissatisfaction, followed by high average daily length of stay, high daily number of patients, and symptoms of psychiatric disorders. DiscussionThis study showed that workplace violence could be predicted with previous data regarding ED visits and stays documented in electronic health records. Timely prediction and mitigation of workplace violence could improve the safety of emergency nurses and the quality of nursing care. To prevent workplace violence, emergency nurses must recognize and continuously observe the risk factors for workplace violence from admission to discharge.

Workplace Violence Against Adolescents, Uganda, 2014-2019.

Objectives. To describe the prevalence of and risk factors for workplace violence among Ugandan adolescents. Methods. The analysis focused on adolescents recruited at primary schools who participated in the endline survey of a trial in 2014 (at ages 11-14 years) and were followed up in 2018-2019 (at ages 17-19 years). The analysis was restricted to those engaged in past-year paid work (n = 1406). We estimated the prevalence of past-year workplace violence and used mixed-effects multivariable logistic regression to explore associations with characteristics measured in early adolescence, current life circumstances, and work-related factors. Methods. The analysis focused on adolescents recruited at primary schools who participated in a 2014 survey and were followed up in 2018-2019. The analysis was restricted to those engaged in past-year paid work (n = 1406). We estimated the prevalence of past-year workplace violence and used mixed-effects multivariable logistic regression to explore associations with characteristics measured in early adolescence, current life circumstances, and work-related factors. Results. Overall, 40% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 37%, 43%) of adolescents in paid work experienced past-year workplace violence; odds were doubled among female domestic workers (vs retail/trade workers; adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.07; 95% CI = 1.28, 3.35). Experiences measured in early adolescence, including eating less than 3 meals the previous day, experiencing severe physical violence (male adolescents: AOR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.11, 1.98; female adolescents: AOR = 1.69; 95% CI = 1.13, 2.53) and bullying, and having poor mental health (male adolescents: AOR = 2.32 95% CI = 1.37, 3.92; female adolescents: AOR = 2.27; 95% CI = 1.05, 4.89), were associated with increased odds of workplace violence. Current life circumstances (fewer household assets, more moves, functional difficulties, poorer mental health) were also associated with workplace violence. Conclusions. Interventions are needed to address the high prevalence of workplace violence across all sectors, with female domestic workers particularly vulnerable. Early prevention of violence and poor mental health may be promising. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(11):1651-1661. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306983).

What do clinical resident doctors think about workplace violence? A qualitative study comprising focus group discussions and thematic analysis from a tertiary care center of India.

ABSTRACTBackground:Workplace violence (WPV) is a significant problem in both developed and developing countries among healthcare workers. The study aims to examine the perspective of resident doctors on various aspects of WPV to promote a better understanding of the complexity of the problem of WPV at a tertiary care center in India.Material and Methods:Seven focus group discussions were conducted with resident doctors from various departments, which were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Discussions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim to English. Thematic analysis was done using Atlas. ti 8 to generate themes, subthemes, and codes from the discussions.Results:A total of 39 resident doctors with a mean age of 28.0 ± 3.8 years were recruited. The themes that emerged during the analysis are as follows: types of WPV, risk factors for WPV, the impact of WPV, and mitigation strategies for WPV.Conclusion:Exposure to WPV is not uncommon in India. Factors associated from individual to policy level are involved in subjugating the episodes of violence. Findings from this study will contribute in devising mitigation strategies for the same.

Trends in Workplace Violence Involving Health Care Professionals in China from 2000 to 2020: A Review.

The safety of health care workers in China has received an increasing amount of attention owing to numerous incidents of hospital-based violence against medical professionals. When pictures and videos of violent injuries are posted on the internet with real-time data, such as gender or location, researchers can access the information to learn about the incident, its causes, and/or threats to survival. We examined the causes and risk factors for workplace violence by analyzing relevant data retrieved from reports by Chinese internet media for all incidents from 2000 to 2020. We present frequency data on hospital-based violence against medical professionals. A total of 345 incidents occurred in health care settings. The person who committed the violent act was a patient or sick person in the workplace or a co-worker in 95.4% of the incidents; 54 of the incidents resulted in the victim’s murder. We provide the characteristics and risk factors of violent criminals. We describe China’s past and current clinical practices and health care policies, and we discuss the challenges faced by medical professionals who are victims of hospital-based violence from the perspectives of patients, physicians, hospital leaders, and the government. We conclude by making recommendations for preventing violence in hospital settings. It is urgent for the public to understand that the occupational safety of health care workers must be protected, and treatment should be provided to patients in a harmonious and safe environment. This review aims to describe the trends in workplace violence involving health care professionals in China from 2000 to 2020 and to discuss possible strategies for improving working conditions in hospitals and other health care settings.

Workplace violence against healthcare providers in emergency departments in Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Emergency departments (EDs) have been identified as the highest risk area within a hospital to be exposed to workplace violence (WPV). This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of WPV against healthcare providers in EDs in Saudi Arabia, to explore the experiences and attitudes of ED staff toward WPV, and to identify the possible risk factors for WPV. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted with physicians and nurses working in 37 EDs in three provinces in Saudi Arabia, using a convenient sampling method. Over a 1-year period, 787 ED staff members were contacted and a 60% response rate was achieved. Results: The 1-year prevalence of at least one violent act against ED staff was 45%. Verbal threats were the most common type of WPV (42%). The study found that the prevalence of WPV against physicians (47%) was higher than against nurses (41%). However, when comparing the physician and nurse groups, none of the types of WPV was statistically significant. More female participants were exposed to stalking compared to male participants (OR 0.38; 95% CI 0.15–0.92). Non Arabic speakers experienced more WPV in the form of verbal threats and physical assault than the Arabic speaking group (OR 0.14; 95% CI 0.03–0.75). Participants working at the Ministry of Health hospitals were more likely to be exposed to a confrontation when off-duty and to stalking. Conclusion: Almost half of the ED physicians and nurses experienced one or more WPV incident during a 12-month period.

Aggression Management Education for Acute Care Nurses: What’s the Evidence?

Aggression Management Education for Acute Care Nurses: What’s the Evidence?

A cross–sectional study on the prevalence and associated risk factors for workplace violence against Chinese nurses

ObjectivesThe purpose of the present study was to explore the characteristics of workplace violence that Chinese nurses at tertiary and county–level hospitals encountered in the 12 months from December 2014...

Client history and violence on direct care workers in the home care setting.

Health care workers providing home care are frequently unaware of their client's history of violence or mental illness/substance abuse disorder, recognized risk factors for workplace violence. This study estimated the associations between these factors and experiencing client violence among direct care workers in the home settings (DCWHs). Acts and threats of violence were estimated using data from an anonymous survey among DCWHs (n = 876) working at two large home care agencies. Logistic regressions were performed to produce odds ratios. Physical acts and physical or verbal threats of client violence were associated with providing homecare to clients with a violence history (adjusted ORs = 6.60 and 10.78, respectively), whereas threats of client violence (adjusted OR = 5.80) were associated with caring for clients with a mental illness/substance abuse disorder. Policy and practices that support the communication of appropriate client risk information may reduce the likelihood of workplace violence among DCWHs. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:1130-1135, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Worker, workplace, and community/environmental risk factors for workplace violence in emergency departments

ABSTRACTWorkplace violence committed by patients and visitors has high propensity to occur against emergency department employees. This article reports the association of worker, workplace, and community/environmental factors with violence risks. A cross-sectional research design was used with 280 employees from six emergency departments in the Midwest United States. Respondents completed the Survey of Violence Experienced by Staff and a 10-item demographic questionnaire. Data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, Chi-square tests, and adjusted relative risks with 95% confidence intervals. Over 80% of respondents experienced at least one type of workplace violence with their current employer and approximately 40% experienced all three types. Risks for workplace violence were significantly higher for registered nurses and hospital-based emergency departments. Workplace violence can impact all employees in the emergency department regardless of worker, workplace, and community/environmental factors.

Work‐related Risk Factors for Workplace Violence among Korean Employees

The aim of this study was to identify work-related risk factors for workplace violence in a representative sample of Korean employees. We analyzed the associations between work-related factors and workplace violence in 29,171 employees using data from the 2011 Korean Working Conditions Survey. The survey included questions about verbal abuse, unwanted sexual attention, threats and behavior that humiliated the victim, physical violence, bullying/harassment and sexual harassment, and a respondent who answered yes to any of these 6 items was considered a victim of workplace violence. The prevalences of verbal abuse, unwanted sexual attention and threats/behavior that humiliated victims in the month preceding the study were 4.8, 1.0 and 1.5%, respectively. The prevalences of physical violence, bullying/harassment and sexual harassment in the year preceding the study were 0.7, 0.3 and 0.4%, respectively. Service workers had higher prevalences of overall workplace violence. Non-regular workers (OR=2.38, 95% CI=2.01-2.84), working more than 60 hours per week as opposed to 40-48 hours per week (OR=1.83, 95% CI=1.45-2.31) and night shift work (OR=1.88, 95% CI=1.54-2.30) were significant risk factors associated with workplace violence. Long working hours, job insecurity and night shift work were associated with a significant increase in workplace violence among Korean employees.

Workplace violence against physicians and nurses in Palestinian public hospitals: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundViolence against healthcare workers in Palestinian hospitals is common. However, this issue is under researched and little evidence exists. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence, magnitude, consequences and possible risk factors for workplace violence against nurses and physicians working in public Palestinian hospitals.MethodsA cross-sectional approach was employed. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on different aspects of workplace violence against physicians and nurses in five public hospitals between June and July 2011. The questionnaires were distributed to a stratified proportional random sample of 271 physicians and nurses, of which 240 (88.7%) were adequately completed. Pearson’s chi-square analysis was used to test the differences in exposure to physical and non-physical violence according to respondents’ characteristics. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were used to assess potential associations between exposure to violence (yes/no) and the respondents’ characteristics using logistic regression model.ResultsThe majority of respondents (80.4%) reported exposure to violence in the previous 12 months; 20.8% physical and 59.6% non-physical. No statistical difference in exposure to violence between physicians and nurses was observed. Males’ significantly experienced higher exposure to physical violence in comparison with females. Logistic regression analysis indicated that less experienced (OR: 8.03; 95% CI 3.91-16.47), and a lower level of education (OR: 3; 95% CI 1.29-6.67) among respondents meant they were more likely to be victims of workplace violence than their counterparts. The assailants were mostly the patients' relatives or visitors, followed by the patients themselves, and co-workers. Consequences of both physical and non-physical violence were considerable. Only half of victims received any type of treatment. Non-reporting of violence was a concern, main reasons were lack of incident reporting policy/procedure and management support, previous experience of no action taken, and fear of the consequences.ConclusionsHealthcare workers are at comparably high risk of violent incidents in Palestinian public hospitals. Decision makers need to be aware of the causes and potential consequences of such events. There is a need for intervention to protect health workers and provide safer hospital workplaces environment. The results can inform developing proper policy and safety measures.

Workplace violence and influencing factors among medical professionals in China

Workplace violence has attracted increasing public attention over the past few decades in China. This study was conducted to evaluate the frequency of workplace violence in healthcare settings by various job titles and hospital departments, and to explore the related risk factors among Chinese medical professionals. A total of 2,464 medical professionals in 12 hospitals of two provinces were surveyed by using a stratified cluster sampling method. The Chinese version of the Workplace Violence Scale was used to measure the frequencies of workplace violence, classified as physical assault, emotional abuse, threat of assault, verbal sexual harassment and sexual assault experienced by the subjects over the previous 12 months. A structured questionnaire was administered to collect information on potentially influencing factors for workplace violence. Multivariate analysis was applied to determine the risk factors for workplace violence. About 50% of study subjects reported at least one type of workplace violence. The rates of experiencing two episodes or more of physical assault, emotional abuse, threat of assault, verbal sexual harassment, and sexual assault were 11%, 26%, 12%, 3%, and 1%, respectively. Identified risk factors for workplace violence included working in the departments of psychiatry, emergency, pediatrics and surgery, male gender, divorce/widowed status, long working hours (≥10 hr/day), and night shift. The study suggested that workplace violence occurs commonly in Chinese healthcare settings. Effective intervention strategies targeting workplace violence should be formulated in terms of major risk factors.

Risk factors for workplace violence in clinical registered nurses in Taiwan

The purpose of this study was to determine the risk factors and mental health consequences of physical and psychological violence for clinical nurses working in healthcare settings in Taiwan. Registered nurses working in hospitals in Taiwan report high incidences of workplace violence. However, previous studies rarely report psychological abuse among nursing staff, while the relationships between personal factors and workplace violence remain unclear. This is a cross-sectional study. Participants were invited to complete the Workplace Violence Questionnaire, an instrument designed to assess types of workplace violence (physical violence, verbal abuse, bullying/mobbing and sexual harassment), the characteristics of perpetrators and victims and victims' reactions to their abuse. A total of 521 nurses completed the questionnaire. Of the participants, 102 (19.6%) indicated that they had experienced physical violence, 268 (51.4%) had experienced verbal abuse, 155 (29.8%) had experienced bullying/mobbing and 67 (12.9%) had experienced sexual harassment. Multiple logistic analyses indicated that age under 30 years (odds ratio = 2.4; 95% confidence interval = 1.34-4.46) and anxiety (odds ratio = 4.7; 95% confidence interval = 1.24-18.12) increased the odds of verbal abuse, while bullying was associated with anxiety (odds ratio = 2.7, 95% confidence interval = 1.09-6.93). Night work shift increased the odds of experiencing sexual harassment (odds ratio = 2.3, 95% confidence interval = 1.29-4.16), while physical violence was associated with bachelor's degree (odds ratio = 2.8, 95% confidence interval = 1.20-6.73). The most serious psychological harm was post-traumatic stress disorder. Exposure to psychological violence often has a great impact on clinical nurses. For violence prevention, interventions should be sensitive to personal factors. Healthcare institutions should initiate counselling programs to help nurses cope with the stress related to workplace violence.

Workplace violence nature, prevalence and risk factors among drivers and conductors in Maputo city, Mozambique

Workplace violence is a worldwide phenomenon. Studies indicate that, physical and psychological violence against workers in the road transport sector is relatively common. This paper provides data on nature, prevalence...

Understanding workplace violence: a guide for managers and employees

By any measure, workplace violence is increasing in frequency and intensity. A recent report estimates its cost at over $120 billion. Meanwhile, experts agree that risk factors, including psychological, behavioral, and situational stressors, are increasing in the context of today's volatile business environment. This timely book integrates insights from the fields of management and social psychology to identify the sources of workplace violence and offer readers practical strategies for preventing it, protecting themselves and their employees from it, and reacting swiftly and effectively when it happens. Featuring case examples, interviews, practical recommendations, and resources for additional information, the authors debunk common myths and misconceptions about workplace violence, its perpetrators, and its victims, and consider the link between domestic and workplace violence-in particular, its implications for women and minorities. The result is an essential guide for anyone, including managers and employees, human resource professionals and counselors, psychologists and other advocates, affected by the impact of workplace violence and seeking solutions. The statistics are alarming. Homicide is the most frequent manner in which female employees are fatally injured at work; it is the number two cause for men. According to a recent study cited by the Society for Human Resource Management, incidents of workplace violence have increased steadily over the past sixteen years; 58 percent of participating companies reported that disgruntled employees have threatened senior managers in the past year, 17 percent said employees had intentionally and maliciously downloaded computer viruses, and 10 percent said they were victims of product tampering. Meanwhile, the costs linked to workplace violence have been estimated at over $120 billion. Experts agree that risk factors for workplace violence include psychological, behavioral, and situational stressors-and today's volatile business environment increases their intensity. This timely book integrates insights from the fields of management and social psychology to identify the sources of workplace violence and offer readers practical strategies for preventing it, protecting themselves and their employees from it, and reacting swiftly and effectively when it happens. Featuring case examples, interviews, practical recommendations, and resources for additional information, the authors debunk common myths and misconceptions about workplace violence, its perpetrators, and its victims, and consider the link between domestic and workplace violence-in particular, its implications for women and minorities. The result is an essential guide for anyone, including managers and employees, human resource professionals and counselors, psychologists and other advocates, who is affected by the impact of workplace violence and is seeking solutions.