Citation

Gillespie GL, Pekar B, Byczkowski TL, Fisher BS. Arch. Environ. Occup. Health 2016; 72(2): 79-86.

Affiliation

University of Cincinnati, School of Criminal Justice.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/19338244.2016.1160861

PMID

26980080

Abstract

Workplace violence (WPV) committed by patients and visitors has a high propensity to occur against emergency department (ED) employees. (1-7) WPV includes any act of verbal or physical abuse, threatening words or actions, and physical assaults against ED employees committed by patients or patients' visitors. (8) The odds of ED employees compared to the odds of obstetrical/gynecological employees were 1.31 times higher for experiencing non-physical violence and 9.14 times higher for being physically assaulted. (1) While researchers have focused on reporting the WPV occurring in ED settings in relation to selected worker factors particularly gender, few researchers have reported on either workplaces or community/environmental risk factors specific to ED settings, such as shifts worked by ED employees, patient population, and whether the ED is hospital-based. Furthermore, Pompeii, Dement, Schoenfisch, et al. recommended that analyses of WPV simultaneously examine these factors for different categories of WPV such as verbal abuse, threats of violence, and physical assaults. (9) The results of such a study can be used to determine if risk factors vary by category of WPV as well as tailor prevention strategies to these specific risk factors.

Language: en