Affiliations: [a] Department of General Practice, University General Hospital of Patras, Rio, Patras, Greece | [b] Department of General Practice, General Hospital of Patras, Patras, Greece
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Eleftheria Fafliora, Department of General Practice, University General Hospital of Patras, Rio, Patras, 26504, Greece. Tel./Fax: +302610339638; E-mail: fafliora@windowslive.com.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Healthcare workers are at high risk of facing workplace violence and nurses represent the most affected group. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to assess workplace violence encountered by nurses working in three different healthcare settings. METHODS:This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary hospital, a non-tertiary hospital and a primary care unit. The research tool was an anonymous self-report questionnaire concerning the prevalence, characteristics, consequences, causes and preventive measures of workplace violence. The statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 17.0 RESULTS:Eighty nurses participated in the study. The majority (76%) had experienced workplace violence. Men (OR, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.01–0.56) and more experienced nurses (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.70–0.97, for each additional year of working experience) were less affected in the last year. Verbal violence was the dominant type (98%). The vast majority (80%) reported a negative psychological impact, while 65% reported that they feel sometimes, rarely or never safe in their workplace. One of the main suggested causes of workplace violence was the long waiting time (99%), while the most common suggested measure of prevention was entrance control (93%). CONCLUSIONS:This study revealed a high prevalence of workplace violence against nurses working in different healthcare facilities. Country and unit-specific studies may be beneficial for implementing appropriate interventions for reducing work place violence.
