Biting the hand that heals: mistreatment by patients and the well-being of healthcare workers

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between stress due to mistreatment by patients and caregivers’ own well-being indicators (anxiety, depression, and behavioral stress indicators). Based on predictions consistent with the job demands-resources model, it is anticipated that satisfaction with job resources would moderate the relationship between mistreatment by patients and well-being indicators. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested with a sample of 182 employees in a leading training and research university hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. Results were partially replicated for a separate sample of 122 healthcare workers. Data were collected using the survey methodology. Findings The findings suggest that patient injustice is positively related to depression and behavioral stress indicators when satisfaction with job resources is high. Results illustrate that satisfaction with job resources has a sensitizing, rather than a buffering, role on the relation between mistreatment by patients, depression, and behavioral stress indicators, negatively affecting employees with higher levels of satisfaction with job resources. Originality/value Organizational justice researchers recently started recognizing that in addition to organizational insiders, organizational outsiders such as customers and patients may also be sources of fair and unfair treatment. Based on this stream of research, unfair treatment from outsiders is associated with retaliation and a variety of negative employee outcomes. The study extends the currently accumulated work by examining how mistreatment from care recipients relates to healthcare workers’ own health outcomes.

The Influence of Mistreatment by Patients on Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention among Chinese Nurses: A Three-Wave Survey

“…Mistreatment by patients concerns rude, threatening, or aggressive behaviors directed at nurses [16], such as verbal insults or physical pushing. As a kind of job pressure, mistreatment influences employees' recognition, emotional state, and behaviors [3]. Numerous studies have documented the negative effects of low-quality interpersonal treatment on service employees.…”

“…According to the Chinese Medical Occupation Status White Paper issued by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association in 2018, 41.2% nurses have experienced mistreatment by a patient within the previous year [1]. This phenomenon (including verbal abuse, incivility, aggression) of patients mistreating nurses by making undeserved prejudicial statements or engaging in hurtful personal attacks can be described as mistreatment by patients [2,3]. As Grandey et al found, mistreatment by service users is a common but problematic occurrence in the workplace [4].…”

Mistreatment by patients: An analysis of the patient-related social stressors among Slovenian healthcare workers

“…Research shows that different patients and their relatives’ behaviour contributes to the SS of HCWs. In 2017, 41.2% of Chinese nurses experienced mistreatment by patients ( 15 ). Twenty-two percent of nurses from 10 European Countries reported frequent relatives ( 16 ).…”

Violence at work in the ambulance service: the role of HRM and other systems

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It is an unfortunate reality that employees at greatest risk of violence are those working in roles that serve the health and wellbeing of the community (Karaeminogullari, Erdogan, & Bauer, 2018). Paramedics are especially susceptible to injury as they work in uncontrolled and potentially volatile conditions, compounded by exposure to traumatic events (Bigham et al, 2014).

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“…Despite a significant number of assault-related injuries, surprisingly little is known about the situational risk factors associated with violence against paramedics (Wongtongkam, 2017).Work-related violence is defined as any incident whereby a person is abused, threatened, or assaulted (physically, verbally or sexually -including threats) in a scenario pertaining directly to their chosen occupation (Loudoun & Johnstone, 2019). Violence at work is a problematic and undesirable behaviour affecting employees, colleagues, leaders, HR Managers, and communities and stakeholders more broadly (Karaeminogullari et al, 2018). The impact of violence against paramedics cannot be understated.…”