Experiences of Workplace Violence Among Healthcare Providers in Myanmar: A Cross-sectional Survey Study

Workplace Violence Toward Doctors Working in Obstetrics and Gynecology Emergency Units in Khartoum North Locality, Sudan: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Workplace violence (WPV) is any action, incident, or behavior that deviates from appropriate conduct and results in a person getting assaulted, threatened, harmed, or injured at work. This research aimed at studying the current state of WPV among doctors working in obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) emergency departments (EDs) in Khartoum north locality (KNL), Sudan   Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study that included 128 doctors from six governmental hospitals in KNL. A self-administered questionnaire assessing the prevalence and outcomes of WPV was distributed. The descriptive statistics and frequency tables were generated using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY).   Results: The respondents' mean age was 28.3±6.6 years (range: 21-70 years). Approximately half of the respondents (49.2%) experienced WPV. Verbal WPV was the most common type (93.3%), followed by physical (10%) and sexual (3.2%) type. Patients' relatives and friends are the most common group to commit WPV (92.9%). Night shifts were the time most WPV (58.6%) took place. The effect of WPV on respondents was mainly psychological (95.8%) compared to physical (4.2%).   Conclusion: WPV prevalence among health care workers (HCWs) working in the OBGYN EDs is alarming with detrimental effects. Evaluating the current state of WPV, outcome, and associated factors will help not only address the current problem but also guide future related research.

Gender Differences for the Prevalence and Risk Factors of Workplace Violence Among Healthcare Professionals in Shandong, China

Background

Workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare professionals (HPs) has been recognized as important occupational health and societal problem in the world. Many studies were also conducted to explore the prevalence, risk factors, and adverse outcomes of WPV against HPs. Although the gender differences in the prevalence and risk factors of WPV against HPs have been implied in many studies, fewer studies were conducted to explore the gender differences for WPV against HPs, especially in China. In this study, we aim to analyze the gender differences in the prevalence and risk factors of WPV against HPs in Shandong, China.

Methods

This study was conducted among HPs with a cross-sectional design. WPV, social-demographic variables, occupational characteristics, physical disease, social support, and depression were evaluated for the participated HPs. The prevalence and risk factors of WPV among male healthcare professionals (MHPs) and female healthcare professionals (FHPs) were analyzed in this study. Student's t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and logistic regressions were performed to test the associated factors of WPV among MHPs and FHPs.

Results

The prevalence of WPV among MHPs and FHPs was 61.4 and 48.8%, respectively. Being silent was the most common method of response to WPV among MHPs (52.3%) and FHPs (59.2%). For MHPs, the associated factors of WPV were master's degree (odds ratio (OR) =2.20, P < 0.05), bachelor's degree (OR = 2.49, P < 0.001), lower income level (OR = 1.81, P < 0.05), manager (OR = 1.81, P < 0.05), and depression (OR = 1.05, P < 0.001). For FHPs, the associated factors of WPV were a master's degree (OR = 1.58, P < 0.05), more working hours per week (OR = 1.02, P < 0.001), and depression (OR = 1.05, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The prevalence of WPV among MHPs was higher than FHPs, and the associated factors for WPV against HPs were also different among MHPs and FHPs. The findings remind us that some gender-specific interventions are needed to control WPV against HPs.