Abstract
Abstract:
Background: Workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment or disruptive behaviour occurring in a workplace, involving workers and clients alike. Violence directed against doctors has been a pressing issue plaguing our public hospital settings in this decade. This prevalence is evidenced by a survey reporting 56-80% incidence of WPV against doctors all across the world.
Objective: To understand the factors conducive for violence so that management can channelize its resources to mitigate them.
Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed the factors contributing to WPV against doctors in six public teaching hospitals of Lahore with the sample population taken to be doctors employed in this setting. The sample size was estimated to be 243 and the sampling technique used for data collection was non-probability, simple random sampling. The data was compiled using a close-ended, reliable and validated questionnaire. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages) were calculated for all variables. Chi-square test was applied for gender and job titles.
Results: The results showed that overcrowding (56.2%) was the primary environmental factor contributing to WPV. Long waiting times (81.37%) were the main trigger for patient aggression with inadequate care also playing a role. Rude behaviour from the staff, lack of proper training of the staff to manage aggressive patients and death of a patient were the key events that triggered violence against healthcare workers. Verbal abuse was reported to be the predominant form of WPV with a higher incidence and more frequent occurrences among males than females.
Conclusion: Violence directed against doctors is a prevalent issue in public hospital settings. Various possible strategies and steps have been suggested that can help in mitigating acts of WPV experienced by doctors.
Keywords: Workplace Violence, doctors, work environment, safety.