Workplace Violence Against Physicians in Turkey's Emergency Departments: a Cross-sectional Survey

Overview

Journal BMJ Open

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2017 Jul 1

PMID 28663323

Citations 33

Authors

Basak Bayram

Murat Cetin

Nese Colak Oray

Ismail Ozgur Can

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to determine the prevalence of violence directed at emergency department (ED) physicians in Turkey and confirm the factors influencing such violence.

Design: Cross-sectional survey study.

Setting: Country of Turkey.

Participants: Physicians currently practising in EDs in Turkey.

Main Outcome Measures: The prevalence of violence directed at physicians and factors that may influence it, such as physicians' personal characteristics, ED characteristics and physicians' opinions regarding the causes of and suggested methods of preventing violence.

Results: A total of 713 physicians participated. Of these, 78.1% reported being subjected to violence in the past year and 65.9% reported more than one such incident. Being subjected to violence was related to age (p=0.008), working in an ED with a high patient admission rate (p=0.018), current position (p<0.001), working outside regular work hours (p<0.001), working in a state hospital (p<0.001) and level of experience (p<0.001). Gender, type of patient typically seen, region and patient waiting period did not influence subjection to violence. The present safety precautions against violence do not appear to influence the prevalence of violence.

Conclusions: Our results indicated that ED physicians' experience of violence is related to personal characteristics such as age and level of expertise, and hospital and ED characteristics such as high patient admission rates. Presently, no measures taken to reduce this violence have been proven effective.

Citing Articles

Work Reward Moderates the Association Between Work Effect and Workplace Violence Among Medical Staff in China.

Zhao Y, Zhang A, Zhang W, Sun L J Multidiscip Healthc. 2024; 17:5763-5774.

PMID: 39655295 PMC: 11626205. DOI: 10.2147/JMDH.S495514.

Workplace violence in three public sector emergency departments, Gauteng, South Africa: A cross-sectional survey.

Nkadimeng M, Engelbrecht A, Rajan S Afr J Emerg Med. 2024; 14(4):252-257.

PMID: 39291136 PMC: 11407051. DOI: 10.1016/j.afjem.2024.08.006.

The prevalence of physical and verbal violence among emergency medicine physicians in military hospitals vs non-military hospitals, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: multi-center cross-sectional study.

Babkair K, Altirkistani B, Baljoon J, Almehmadi A, Atiah A, Alsadan S BMC Emerg Med. 2024; 24(1):129.

PMID: 39075365 PMC: 11288119. DOI: 10.1186/s12873-024-01049-z.

Compassion Fatigue in Emergency Medicine: Current Perspectives.

Jeanmonod D, Irick J, Munday A, Awosika A, Jeanmonod R Open Access Emerg Med. 2024; 16:167-181.

PMID: 39045605 PMC: 11264384. DOI: 10.2147/OAEM.S418935.

A gender-based review of workplace violence amongst the global health workforce-A scoping review of the literature.

Nelson S, Ayaz B, Baumann A, Dozois G PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024; 4(7):e0003336.

PMID: 38954697 PMC: 11218983. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003336.

References

Fernandes C, Raboud J, Christenson J, Bouthillette F, Bullock L, Ouellet L . The effect of an education program on violence in the emergency department. Ann Emerg Med. 2002; 39(1):47-55. DOI: 10.1067/mem.2002.121202. View

Erdur B, Ergin A, Yuksel A, Turkcuer I, Ayrik C, Boz B . Assessment of the relation of violence and burnout among physicians working in the emergency departments in Turkey. Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg. 2015; 21(3):175-81. DOI: 10.5505/tjtes.2015.91298. View

Stene J, Larson E, Levy M, Dohlman M . Workplace violence in the emergency department: giving staff the tools and support to report. Perm J. 2015; 19(2):e113-7. PMC: 4403590. DOI: 10.7812/TPP/14-187. View

Gacki-Smith J, Juarez A, Boyett L, Homeyer C, Robinson L, MacLean S . Violence against nurses working in US emergency departments. J Healthc Prot Manage. 2010; 26(1):81-99. View

Morphet J, Griffiths D, Plummer V, Innes K, Fairhall R, Beattie J . At the crossroads of violence and aggression in the emergency department: perspectives of Australian emergency nurses. Aust Health Rev. 2014; 38(2):194-201. DOI: 10.1071/AH13189. View

Canbaz S, Dundar C, Dabak S, Sunter A, Peksen Y, Cetinoglu E . Violence towards workers in hospital emergency services and in emergency medical care units in Samsun: an epidemiological study. Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg. 2008; 14(3):239-44. View

Malka S, Chisholm R, Doehring M, Chisholm C . Weapons Retrieved After the Implementation of Emergency Department Metal Detection. J Emerg Med. 2015; 49(3):355-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2015.04.020. View

Pinar T, Acikel C, Pinar G, Karabulut E, Saygun M, Bariskin E . Workplace Violence in the Health Sector in Turkey: A National Study. J Interpers Violence. 2015; 32(15):2345-2365. DOI: 10.1177/0886260515591976. View

Baykan Z, Oktem I, Cetinkaya F, Nacar M . Physician exposure to violence: a study performed in Turkey. Int J Occup Saf Ergon. 2015; 21(3):291-7. DOI: 10.1080/10803548.2015.1073008. View

10.

Lyneham J . Violence in New South Wales emergency departments. Aust J Adv Nurs. 2002; 18(2):8-17. View

11.

Altinbas K, Altinbas G, Turkcan A, Oral E, Walters J . A survey of verbal and physical assaults towards psychiatrists in Turkey. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2010; 57(6):631-6. DOI: 10.1177/0020764010382364. View

12.

Ordog G, Wasserberger J, Ordog C, Ackroyd G, Atluri S . Violence and general security in the emergency department. Acad Emerg Med. 1995; 2(2):151-4. DOI: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.1995.tb03182.x. View

13.

Zafar W, Siddiqui E, Ejaz K, Shehzad M, Khan U, Jamali S . Health care personnel and workplace violence in the emergency departments of a volatile metropolis: results from Karachi, Pakistan. J Emerg Med. 2013; 45(5):761-72. PMC: 4332856. DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2013.04.049. View

14.

Kvas A, Seljak J . Unreported workplace violence in nursing. Int Nurs Rev. 2014; 61(3):344-51. DOI: 10.1111/inr.12106. View

15.

Rankins R, Hendey G . Effect of a security system on violent incidents and hidden weapons in the emergency department. Ann Emerg Med. 1999; 33(6):676-9. View

16.

Kowalenko T, Walters B, Khare R, Compton S . Workplace violence: a survey of emergency physicians in the state of Michigan. Ann Emerg Med. 2005; 46(2):142-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2004.10.010. View

17.

Dubb S . It doesn't "come with the job": violence against doctors at work must stop. BMJ. 2015; 350:h2780. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.h2780. View

18.

Senuzun Ergun F, Karadakovan A . Violence towards nursing staff in emergency departments in one Turkish city. Int Nurs Rev. 2005; 52(2):154-60. DOI: 10.1111/j.1466-7657.2005.00420.x. View

19.

Ayranci U, Yenilmez C, Balci Y, Kaptanoglu C . Identification of violence in Turkish health care settings. J Interpers Violence. 2005; 21(2):276-96. DOI: 10.1177/0886260505282565. View

20.

Talas M, Kocaoz S, Akguc S . A survey of violence against staff working in the emergency department in ankara, Turkey. Asian Nurs Res (Korean Soc Nurs Sci). 2014; 5(4):197-203. DOI: 10.1016/j.anr.2011.11.001. View