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Citation
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Çıkrıklar HÍ, Yürümez Y, Güngör B, Aşkın R, Yucel M, Baydemir C. Hong Kong Med. J. 2016; 22(5): 464-471. |
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Affiliation
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Department of Biostatistics, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Medical Faculty, Eskişehir, Turkey. |
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Abstract
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INTRODUCTION: This study was conducted to evaluate the occurrence of violent incidents in the workplace among the various professional groups working in the emergency department. We characterised the types of violence encountered by different occupation groups and the attitude of individuals working in different capacities.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 323 people representing various professional groups working in two distinct emergency departments in Turkey. The participants were asked to complete questionnaires prepared in advance by the researchers. The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (Windows version 15.0).
RESULTS: A total of 323 participants, 189 men (58.5%) and 134 women (41.5%), participated in the study. The mean (standard deviation) age of the male respondents was 31.5 (6.5) years, and that of the female respondents was 32.0 (6.9) years. The proportion of participants who had been subjected to verbal or physical violence at any point since starting employment in a medical profession was 74.0%. Moreover, 50.2% of participants stated that they had been subjected to violence for more than 5 times. Among those who reported being subjected to violence, 42.7% had formally reported the incident(s). The proportion of participants who did not enjoy their profession, who did not want to work in the emergency department, or who would prefer employment in a non-health care field after being subjected to violence was 74.3%. According to the study participants, the most common cause of violence was the attitude of patients or their family members (28.7%). In addition, 79.6% (n=257) of participants stated that they did not have adequate safety protection in their working area. According to the study participants, there is a need for legal regulations to effectively deter violence and increased safety measures designed to reduce the incidence of violence in the emergency department.
CONCLUSION: Violence against employees in the emergency department is a widespread problem. This situation has a strong negative effect on employee satisfaction and work performance. In order to reduce the incidence of violence in the emergency department, both patients and their families should be better informed so they have realistic expectations as an emergency patient, deterrent legal regulations should be put in place, and increased efforts should be made to provide enhanced security for emergency department personnel. These measures will reduce workplace violence and the stress experienced by emergency workers. We expect this to have a positive impact on emergency health care service delivery.
Language: en |