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Abstract
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With severe consequences and grave detriments to workplace efficiency, workplace violence (WPV) is defined as incidents including assault, physical or mental abuse, and/or threats affecting the well-being and safety of an occupation [1]. Though regrettably, workplace violence(WPV) is familiar and known to all occupations and fields, the numbers in healthcare workers(HCWs) exceed by 16 times, ranking the healthcare sector as the leading and most exposed group affected by it [2,3].
Within the healthcare sector, nurses are estimated to be three times more affected by WPV than any other group [4], with 95% of them experiencing it at least once in their occupational setting [5]. Several studies have quoted regarding violence received by nurses in their profession. In recent literature, it was estimated that at least 16.5% of HCWs faced physical while 72.5% faced verbal assault, of which nurses made a total of a whopping 59% and 53% respectively [6]. Another study quoted that 73.1% of nurses encountered at least some type of WPV, with 53.4% suffering from physical, while 57.3% and 26.9% from verbal and sexual violence respectively [7].
Though numerous plausible reasons can be cited as causative factors; in almost two-thirds of the violent events, the perpetrators were either patients or their attendants [2]. Other factors leading to massive events against nurses include low professional status, poor perception of healthcare by the patient, unanticipated outcomes/death of a patient, resource constraints, delay in treatment, and a general lack of awareness in society. Another overlooked yet extremely important reason, lies in the fact that in Pakistan, nurses are predominantly female, making up to 95% of the task force. Hence, in male-dominant societies like Pakistan, where men tenant the leading job roles in the hospital hierarchy, WPV against female nurses is frequent [7]. Another key factor is the fact that most nurses perceive WPV to be a part of their job, hence the violence often goes unreported [7]. The incidents of WPV also vary depending on the location, with the emergency unit and wards within the facility being the center points for most of the incidents; each paying constituent to approximately one-third of the total events...
Language: en |