Worker Characteristics and Measures Associated With Patient and Visitor Violence in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multilevel Regression Analysis From China

Overview

Journal Front Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 2022 Jun 20

PMID 35719686

Authors

Ya-Qian Guo

Ju Huang

Na-Na Xu

Xiao-Jing Ma

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the patient and visitor workplace violence (PVV) toward health workers (HWs) and identify correlations between worker characteristics, measures against violence and exposure to PVV in COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey utilizing the international questionnaires in six public tertiary hospitals from Beijing in 2020 was conducted, and valid data from 754 respondents were collected. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to determine the association between independents and exposure to PVV.

Results: During COVID-19 pandemic and regular epidemic prevention and control, doctors were 5.3 times (95% CI = 1.59~17.90) more likely to suffer from physical PVV than nurses. HWs most frequently work with infants were 7.2 times (95% CI = 2.24~23.19) more likely to suffer from psychological PVV. More than four-fifth of HWs reported that their workplace had implemented security measures in 2020, and the cross-level interactions between the security measures and variable indicates that doctors in the workplace without security measures were 11.3 times (95% CI = 1.09~116.39) more likely to suffer from physical PVV compared to nurses in the workplace with security measures.

Conclusion: Doctors have higher risk of physical PVV in COVID-19 containment, and the security measures are very important and effective to fight against the physical PVV. Comprehensive measures should be implemented to mitigate hazards and protect the health, safety, and well-being of health workers.

Citing Articles

Violence against healthcare professionals in intensive care units: a systematic review and meta-analysis of frequency, risk factors, interventions, and preventive measures.

Berger S, Grzonka P, Frei A, Hunziker S, Baumann S, Amacher S Crit Care. 2024; 28(1):61.

PMID: 38409034 PMC: 10898135. DOI: 10.1186/s13054-024-04844-z.

Effect of safety and security equipment on patient and visitor violence towards nurses in multiple public hospitals of China during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective, difference-in-difference analysis.

Hu Y, Huang J, Zhao D, Zhang C, Xia J, Lu X BMJ Open. 2024; 14(1):e078598.

PMID: 38296297 PMC: 10831433. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-078598.

Effects of infection prevention and control measures on patient and visitor violence against health workers in China during COVID-19 pandemic.

Su K, Zhang C, Huang J Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1140561.

PMID: 37342269 PMC: 10277554. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1140561.

Workplace violence and its associated factors among nurses working in public hospitals of eastern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

Legesse H, Assefa N, Tesfaye D, Birhanu S, Tesi S, Wondimneh F BMC Nurs. 2022; 21(1):300.

PMID: 36345000 PMC: 9638229. DOI: 10.1186/s12912-022-01078-8.

Current Status of Intergroup Threats Perceived by Chinese Physicians and Its Association with Organizational Psychology, Behavior, and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Sun T, Yin H, Zhang S, Huang X, Liu B Healthcare (Basel). 2022; 10(10).

PMID: 36292418 PMC: 9602264. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10101972.

References

McKay D, Heisler M, Mishori R, Catton H, Kloiber O . Attacks against health-care personnel must stop, especially as the world fights COVID-19. Lancet. 2020; 395(10239):1743-1745. PMC: 7239629. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31191-0. View

Fang H, Wei L, Mao J, Jia H, Li P, Li Y . Extent and risk factors of psychological violence towards physicians and Standardised Residency Training physicians: a Northern China experience. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2020; 18(1):330. PMC: 7542751. DOI: 10.1186/s12955-020-01574-y. View

Wang N, Wu D, Sun C, Li L, Zhou X . Workplace Violence in County Hospitals in Eastern China: Risk Factors and Hospital Attitudes. J Interpers Violence. 2018; 36(9-10):4916-4926. DOI: 10.1177/0886260518792242. View

. Chinese doctors are under threat. Lancet. 2010; 376(9742):657. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61315-3. View

Wang W, Lu L, Kelifa M, Yu Y, He A, Cao N . Mental Health Problems in Chinese Healthcare Workers Exposed to Workplace Violence During the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Propensity Score Matching Analysis. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2020; 13:2827-2833. PMC: 7721299. DOI: 10.2147/RMHP.S279170. View

Sun T, Gao L, Li F, Shi Y, Xie F, Wang J . Workplace violence, psychological stress, sleep quality and subjective health in Chinese doctors: a large cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2017; 7(12):e017182. PMC: 5728267. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017182. View

Xie X, Zhao Y, An F, Zhang Q, Yu H, Yuan Z . Workplace violence and its association with quality of life among mental health professionals in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Psychiatr Res. 2021; 135:289-293. PMC: 7817476. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.01.023. View

Song C, Wang G, Wu H . Frequency and barriers of reporting workplace violence in nurses: An online survey in China. Int J Nurs Sci. 2021; 8(1):65-70. PMC: 7859538. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2020.11.006. View

Bizzarri J, Piacentino D, Kotzalidis G, Moser S, Cappelletti S, Weissenberger G . Aggression and Violence Toward Healthcare Workers in a Psychiatric Service in Italy: A Retrospective Questionnaire-Based Survey. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2020; 208(4):299-305. DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001126. View

10.

Huang J, Zhang M, Liu X . Correlation between patient and visitor violence and workload among public healthcare workers in China: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2020; 10(4):e034605. PMC: 7217091. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034605. View

11.

Hahn S, Muller M, Hantikainen V, Kok G, Dassen T, Halfens R . Risk factors associated with patient and visitor violence in general hospitals: results of a multiple regression analysis. Int J Nurs Stud. 2012; 50(3):374-85. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2012.09.018. View

12.

Li P, Xing K, Qiao H, Fang H, Ma H, Jiao M . Psychological violence against general practitioners and nurses in Chinese township hospitals: incidence and implications. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2018; 16(1):117. PMC: 5989437. DOI: 10.1186/s12955-018-0940-9. View

13.

Yang S, Wu D, Wang N, Hesketh T, Sun K, Li L . Workplace violence and its aftermath in China's health sector: implications from a cross-sectional survey across three tiers of the health system. BMJ Open. 2019; 9(9):e031513. PMC: 6756606. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031513. View

14.

Pich J, Roche M . Violence on the Job: The Experiences of Nurses and Midwives with Violence from Patients and Their Friends and Relatives. Healthcare (Basel). 2020; 8(4). PMC: 7712129. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare8040522. View

15.

Diez-Roux A . Bringing context back into epidemiology: variables and fallacies in multilevel analysis. Am J Public Health. 1998; 88(2):216-22. PMC: 1508189. DOI: 10.2105/ajph.88.2.216. View

16.

Kansagra S, Rao S, Sullivan A, Gordon J, Magid D, Kaushal R . A survey of workplace violence across 65 U.S. emergency departments. Acad Emerg Med. 2008; 15(12):1268-74. PMC: 3530386. DOI: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2008.00282.x. View

17.

Chapman R, Perry L, Styles I, Combs S . Predicting patient aggression against nurses in all hospital areas. Br J Nurs. 2009; 18(8):476, 478-83. DOI: 10.12968/bjon.2009.18.8.41810. View

18.

Zhang M, Kim R . Occupational health protection for health workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: 6P-approach in China. Glob Health J. 2021; 5(4):215-219. PMC: 8613932. DOI: 10.1016/j.glohj.2021.11.007. View

19.

Rodriguez-Acosta R, Myers D, Richardson D, Lipscomb H, Chen J, Dement J . Physical assault among nursing staff employed in acute care. Work. 2010; 35(2):191-200. DOI: 10.3233/WOR-2010-0971. View

20.

Byon H, Sagherian K, Kim Y, Lipscomb J, Crandall M, Steege L . Nurses' Experience With Type II Workplace Violence and Underreporting During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Workplace Health Saf. 2021; :21650799211031233. DOI: 10.1177/21650799211031233. View