Violence toward health care workers in emergency departments in Denizli, Turkey

Abstract

This study sought to determine the frequency and types of violence that occurred during the previous year against health care workers in emergency departments in Denizli, Turkey, and to discern the views of workers on the prevention of such aggressive behavior. This study was conducted from March 1 to April 15, 2003, and included a group of 79 health care workers from the emergency departments of 3 hospitals in Denizli, namely, the Hospital of Pamukkale University Medical Faculty, the City Hospital of Denizli, and the Hospital of the Social Insurance Foundation. Data were collected from a self-administered questionnaire. In all, 88.6% of participants had been subjected to or had witnessed verbal violence, and 49.4% of them had been subjected to or had witnessed physical violence during the previous year. The most frequent reason (31.4%) for violence was abuse of alcohol and drugs by perpetrators. The second most frequent reason (24.7%) was the long waiting times typical of emergency departments. The most common type of violence was loud shouting; swearing, threatening, and hitting were the next most frequent violent behaviors. In all, 36.1% of subjects who had experienced violence reported that they developed psychological problems after the incident. Most participants commented on the insufficiency of currently available security systems within emergency departments and on the need for further training about violence. All health care personnel within emergency departments should be aware of the risk of violence and should be prepared for unpredictable conditions and events; in addition, security systems should be updated so that violence within emergency departments can be prevented.

Assessment of the Relationship between Violence and Burnout among Physicians Working in Emergency Departments, Turkey

“…These findings are supported by other studies. [7,12,18,23] The negative influence of violence on the well-being of the affected person has been demonstrated in some studies. The consequences are emotions like anger or anxiety extending to psychological disorders like burnout.…”

“…Data were obtained by means of a self-administered questionnaire that consisted of questions on the demographics of the participants, the Turkish version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), [17] and the questions about whether participants had been subjected to or had witnessed any verbal or physical violence [18] during the previous month were also included into the questionnaire. Data were collected during an emergency physician certification program.…”

Violence Towards Healthcare Workers in Turkey: A Systematic Review

“…Ça lış ma la rın 14'ünün ör nek lem gru bu hem şi re lerden olu şur ken, [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] 12'si has ta ne ça lı şan la rın dan (dok tor, hem şi re, di ğer ça lı şan lar), [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] Üçü de sade ce dok tor lar dan oluş mak ta dır. [39][40][41] Bu na gö re şid-det le il gi li ya pı lan ça lış ma lar da hem şi re le rin di ğer ça lı şan la ra gö re da ha faz la ör nek lem gru bu ola rak ter cih edil di ği dik kat çek mek te dir.…”

Frequency of Healthcare Workers’ Exposure to Violence in the City Center of Sivas

“…5 Yurtiçi ve yurtdışında sağlık çalışanlarına yönelik şiddet konulu pek çok çalışma yapılmıştır. [6][7][8][9] Bu çalışma, Sivas il merkezinde görev yapan sağlık çalışanlarının iş yeri şiddeti ile karşılaşma sıklığını, karşılaştıkları şiddet türünü, bunları etkileyen kişisel ve mesleki özellikleri belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır.…”

“…7-27-33-34 Ülkemizde yapılan çalışmalarda en fazla şiddet uygulayanların hasta veya hasta yakınları olduğu belirlenmiştir. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Çalışmamızda da şiddet uygulayanların en fazla hasta yakınları olduğu, ikinci sırada hastaların geldiği saptanmıştır. Uluslararası literatür incelendiğinde hastaların, hasta yakınlarından daha fazla saldırıda bulunduğu bildirilmektedir.…”