Most health workers are victims of workplace violence
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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More than two-thirds of health workers interviewed are subjected to oral, physical or sexual abuse at work, the new study says.
Verbal insults from patients, their friends or relatives, colleagues or passers-by were the most frequent, after intimidation and physical violence, the study said.
"Emergency workers can suffer from violence in the workplace, as they do their work in unpredictable situations," said Blair Bigem, lead researcher.
Separate reports and safety reports at the workplace revealed cases of verbal, physical and sexual violence, but so far there have been few scientific studies in this area.
Blair Bigem is an advanced medical professional in St. Michael's Hospital (New York, USA), an associate Rescu scientist. Rescu is part of a consortium that has been conducting research across the United States and Canada, studying prospective drugs and treatments to improve survival among people who suffer from cardiac arrest or life-threatening injuries outside hospitals.
A study published in the January issue of Prehospital Emergency Care found that:
- 67.4% of medical workers reported verbal insults committed by patients (62.9%), family or friends of the patient (36.4%), colleagues (20.8%) and bystanders (5.8%).
- 41.5% of health workers reported intimidation committed by patients (37.8%), patient families or friends (27%), colleagues (45.3%) and casual passers-by (3.4%).
- 26.1% of health workers reported physical violence committed by patients (92.3%), family or friends of the patient (11.1%), colleagues (3.8%) and casual passers-by (2.3%).
- 13.6% of health workers reported sexual harassment by patients (64.7%), family or friends of the patient (18.4%), colleagues (41.2%) and casual passersby (8.8%).
- 2.7% of health workers reported sexual violence committed by patients (88.9%), families or friends of the patient (7.4%), colleagues (14.8%) and casual passers-by (2.7%).
Medical workers from Ontario and Nova Scotia were invited to participate in this study. They were asked whether they were victims of various forms of violence during the previous 12 months. Out of 1,381 health workers interviewed, 70% were men with an average age of 34 and worked for about 10 years.
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