“…The manual search yielded two additional studies and the updated database search resulted in five more studies. Overall, 38 studies were eligible for both the qualitative and quantitative analysis of our review (Abdelhafiz et al 2020 ; Alameddine et al 2021 ; Alfuqaha et al 2022 ; Alves et al 2022 ; Angwenyi et al 2021 ; Asaoka et al 2021 ; Aspera-Campos et al 2020 ; Bitencourt et al 2021 ; Buran and Altın, 2021 ; Byon et al 2021 ; Chowdhury et al 2022 , 2021 ; De la Cerda-Vargas et al 2022 ; Dopelt et al 2022 ; El Ghaziri et al 2022 ; García-Zamora et al 2022 ; Garg et al 2020 ; Ghareeb et al 2021 ; Guo et al 2022 ; Iida et al 2022 ; Kashtanov et al 2022 ; Khatatbeh et al 2021 ; Kuhlmann et al 2021 ; Kurzthaler et al 2021 ; Lafta et al 2021 ; McGuire et al 2022 ; Mediavilla et al 2021 ; Muñoz Del Carpio-Toia et al 2021 ; Özkan Şat et al 2021 ; Qi et al 2022 ; Sarfraz et al 2022 ; Serafin et al 2022 ; Somville et al 2021 ; Xie et al 2021 ; Yang et al 2021a , b , 2022 ; Zhizhong et al 2020 ). Fig.…”
Workplace violence (WPV) is a prevalent phenomenon, especially in the healthcare setting. WPV against healthcare workers (HCWs) has increased during the COVID-19 epidemic. This meta-analysis determined the prevalence and risk factors of WPV. A database search was conducted across six databases in May 2022, which was updated in October 2022. WPV prevalence among HCWs was the main outcome. Data were stratified by WPV/HCW type, pandemic period (early, mid, late), and medical specialty. WPV risk factors were the secondary outcome. All analyses were conducted through STATA. Newcastle Ottawa Scale evaluated the quality. Sensitivity analysis identified effect estimate changes. A total of 38 studies (63,672 HCWs) were analyzed. The prevalence of WPV of any kind (43%), physical (9%), verbal (48%), and emotional (26%) was high. From mid-pandemic to late-pandemic, WPV (40–47%), physical violence (12–23%), and verbal violence (45–58%) increased. Nurses had more than double the rate of physical violence (13% vs. 5%) than physicians, while WPV and verbal violence were equal. Gender, profession, and COVID-19 timing did not affect WPV, physical, or verbal violence risk. COVID-19 HCWs were more likely to be physically assaulted (logOR = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.10: 0.97). Most healthcare employees suffer verbal violence, followed by emotional, bullying, sexual harassment, and physical assault. Pandemic-related workplace violence increased. Nurses were twice as violent as doctors. COVID-19 healthcare employees had a higher risk of physical and workplace violence.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-023-27317-2.
“…The manual search yielded two additional studies and the updated database search resulted in five more studies. Overall, 38 studies were eligible for both the qualitative and quantitative analysis of our review (Abdelhafiz et al 2020 ; Alameddine et al 2021 ; Alfuqaha et al 2022 ; Alves et al 2022 ; Angwenyi et al 2021 ; Asaoka et al 2021 ; Aspera-Campos et al 2020 ; Bitencourt et al 2021 ; Buran and Altın, 2021 ; Byon et al 2021 ; Chowdhury et al 2022 , 2021 ; De la Cerda-Vargas et al 2022 ; Dopelt et al 2022 ; El Ghaziri et al 2022 ; García-Zamora et al 2022 ; Garg et al 2020 ; Ghareeb et al 2021 ; Guo et al 2022 ; Iida et al 2022 ; Kashtanov et al 2022 ; Khatatbeh et al 2021 ; Kuhlmann et al 2021 ; Kurzthaler et al 2021 ; Lafta et al 2021 ; McGuire et al 2022 ; Mediavilla et al 2021 ; Muñoz Del Carpio-Toia et al 2021 ; Özkan Şat et al 2021 ; Qi et al 2022 ; Sarfraz et al 2022 ; Serafin et al 2022 ; Somville et al 2021 ; Xie et al 2021 ; Yang et al 2021a , b , 2022 ; Zhizhong et al 2020 ). Fig.…”
Workplace violence (WPV) is a prevalent phenomenon, especially in the healthcare setting. WPV against healthcare workers (HCWs) has increased during the COVID-19 epidemic. This meta-analysis determined the prevalence and risk factors of WPV. A database search was conducted across six databases in May 2022, which was updated in October 2022. WPV prevalence among HCWs was the main outcome. Data were stratified by WPV/HCW type, pandemic period (early, mid, late), and medical specialty. WPV risk factors were the secondary outcome. All analyses were conducted through STATA. Newcastle Ottawa Scale evaluated the quality. Sensitivity analysis identified effect estimate changes. A total of 38 studies (63,672 HCWs) were analyzed. The prevalence of WPV of any kind (43%), physical (9%), verbal (48%), and emotional (26%) was high. From mid-pandemic to late-pandemic, WPV (40–47%), physical violence (12–23%), and verbal violence (45–58%) increased. Nurses had more than double the rate of physical violence (13% vs. 5%) than physicians, while WPV and verbal violence were equal. Gender, profession, and COVID-19 timing did not affect WPV, physical, or verbal violence risk. COVID-19 HCWs were more likely to be physically assaulted (logOR = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.10: 0.97). Most healthcare employees suffer verbal violence, followed by emotional, bullying, sexual harassment, and physical assault. Pandemic-related workplace violence increased. Nurses were twice as violent as doctors. COVID-19 healthcare employees had a higher risk of physical and workplace violence.
Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-023-27317-2.
“…Background: Increased levels of aggression have been observed in various studies during the COVID-19 pandemic (Bitencourt et al, 2021;Garcia-Zamora et al, 2022;Killgore et al, 2021). Aggression de-escalation training has been shown to increase individual confidence in dealing with aggression as well as to reduce the frequency of aggression (Abozaid et al, 2022;Celofiga et al, 2022;Ye et al, 2021).…”
“…The methodology of this study has been previously described (García‐Zamora et al, 2022). Briefly, using the Consensus‐Based Checklist for Report of Surveys Studies (CROSS) and the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E‐Surveys (CHERRIES), a cross‐sectional electronic survey was conducted between January 11 to February 28, 2022 (Eysenbach, 2004; Sharma et al, 2021).…”
IntroductionDuring the Coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic, healthcare providers have overcome difficult experiences such as workplace violence. Nurses are particularly vulnerable to workplace violence. The objective of this study was to characterize violence and aggression against nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Latin America.MethodsAn electronic cross‐sectional survey was conducted in 19 Latin American countries to characterize the frequency and type of violent actions against front‐line healthcare providers.ResultsOf the original 3544 respondents, 16% were nurses (n = 567). The mean age was 39.7 ± 9.0 years and 79.6% (n = 2821) were women. In total, 69.8% (n = 2474) worked in public hospitals and 81.1% (n = 2874) reported working regularly with COVID‐19 patients. Overall, about 68.6% (n = 2431) of nurses experienced at least one episode of workplace aggression during the pandemic. Nurses experienced weekly aggressions more frequently than other healthcare providers (45.5% versus 38.1%, p < .007). Nurses showed a trend of lower reporting rates against the acts of aggression suffered (p = .076). In addition, nurses were more likely to experience negative cognitive symptoms after aggressive acts (33.4% versus 27.8%, p = .028). However, nurses reported considering changing their work tasks less frequently compared to other healthcare providers after an assault event (p = .005).ConclusionWorkplace violence has been a frequent problem for all healthcare providers during COVID‐19 pandemic in Latin America. Nurses were a particularly vulnerable subgroup, with higher rates of aggressions and cognitive symptoms and lower rate of complaints than other healthcare providers who suffered from workplace violence. It is imperative to develop strategies to protect this vulnerable group from aggressions during their tasks.
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