Violence Against Health Care Workers in Health Care Services: A Literature Review

Abstract

Background: The healthcare sector is a complex and demanding sector, with workplace violence being a serious risk to healthcare workers.Aim: The current literature review to understand the frequency of workplace violence against nurses and how it relates to stress at work, job satisfaction, and health care quality.Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted on several databases, including CINAHL, PubMed, Springer-Link, SAGE Publications, and Wiley Online Library. Out of the 170 articles that were published between 2016 and 2022, only 12 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review.Analysis and Results: The literature revealed that nurses were the most affected by workplace violence (WPV), with rates ranging between 48%-91%, while the emergency department had the highest prevalence rate, ranging between 46.9%-90%. Verbal abuse was found to be the most common form of WPV, with rates ranging from 38.6%-94%. Patients, their families, and visitors were identified as the primary perpetrators of WPV. Nurses who were subjected to violence were more likely to have lower job satisfaction and higher burnout rates. However, reporting rates from HCWs were found to be lacking, with rates ranging from 4.9%-84%.Conclusions: There have been multiple incidents of WPV against HCWs. The prevalence of WPV incidents against HCWs is the urgent need for healthcare and policymakers to prioritize developing comprehensive strategies, policies, and procedures that create a safe and respectful work environment. This will ultimately prevent WPV against nurses and other healthcare staff.