Evaluation of violence against emergency physicians

Year 2022, Volume: 5 Issue: 6, 1698 - 1703, 25.10.2022

Mazlum Kılıç Mehmet Koçak

https://doi.org/10.32322/jhsm.1153429

Cited By: 2

Abstract

Aim: To identify the causes of violence in the emergency department and suggest ways to reduce the violence experienced.
Material and Method: The population of this cross-sectional survey study consisted of all emergency medicine physicians who participated in the symposium on frequent emergencies held in Cyprus on May 6, 2022. The survey consisted of a total of 20 items comprising 16 multiple-choice and four fill-in-the-blank questions related to demographic characteristics and violence. It was administered to 230 physicians who volunteered to participate in the study.
Results: A total of 230 physicians, 65.2% (n=150) male and 34.8% (n=80) female, participated in the study. It was determined that 28.7% of the participants had been exposed to physical violence, 89.2% to verbal violence, and 1.3% to sexual violence within the last year. The factors causing violence were identified as the low educational level of patients’ and their family members, patient requests for unnecessary medical practices, aggressive nature of family members, and patients’ desire to be examined before their turn. As the number of shifts worked by the physicians and number of treated patients increased, the frequency of exposure to violence also increased. Women were exposed to more violence. As the title and age of the physicians increased, the frequency of exposure to violence decreased.
Conclusion: We consider that violence against physicians can be reduced by informing patients and patient’s relatives and improving the working conditions of physicians.

Keywords

healthcare workers, violence against physicians, emergency department

References

• Krug EG, Mercy JA, Dahlberg LL, Zwi AB. The world report on violence and health. Lancet 2002; 360: 1083-8.
• Özişli Ö. Sağlikta şiddetin nedenleri üzerine bir araştirma. Usaysad Derg 2022; 1: 62-8.
• Türkmenoğlu B, Sümer HE Sivas il merkezi sağlık çalışanlarında şiddete maruziyet sıklığı. Ank Med J 2017; 17: 216-25.
• Adaş EB, Elbek O, Bakır K. Sağlık sektöründe şiddet: Hekimlere yönelik şiddet ve hekimlerin şiddet algısı. Gaziantep: Gaziantep Kilis Tabip Odası Yayını 2008.
• Morley C, Unwin M, Peterson GM, Stankovich J, Kinsman L. Emergency department crowding: A systematic review of causes, consequences and solutions. PLoS One 2018; 13: e0203316.
• Tuğçe ER, Ayoğlu F, Açikgöz B. Sağlık çalışanına yönelik şiddet: Risk faktörleri, etkileri, değerlendirilmesi ve önlenmesi. Turk J Public Health 2021; 19: 69-78.
• Çamcı O, Kutlu Y. Kocaeli’nde sağlık çalışanlarına yönelik iş yeri şiddetinin belirlenmesi. Psikiyatr Hemşire Derg 2011; 2: 9-16.
• Ayranci U, Yenilmez C, Balci Y, Kaptanoglu C. Identification of violence in Turkish health care settings. J Interpers Violence 2006; 21: 276-96.
• Ayranci Ü, Yenilmez Ç, Günay Y, Kaptanoglu C. Çesitli saglik kurumlarinda ve saglik meslek gruplarinda siddete ugrama sikligi/the frequency of being exposed to violence in the various health institutions and health profession groups. Anadolu Psikiyatri Derg 2002; 3: 147.
• Eroglu SE, Onur O, Sagiroglu E, Denizbasi A, Akoglu H. Analysis of violence in a crowded emergency room. Br J Med Med Res 2013; 3: 1208.
• Pinar T, Acikel C, Pinar R, et al. Workplace violence in the health sector in Turkey: a national study. J Interpers Violence 2017; 32: 2345-65.
• Aksakal FNB, Karaşahin EF, Dikmen AU, Avci E, Özkan S. Workplace physical violence, verbal violence, and mobbing experiencedby nurses at a university hospital. Turk J Med Sci 2015; 45: 1360-8
• Mirza NM, Amjad AI, Bhatti ABH, et al. Violence and abuse faced by junior physicians in the emergency department from patients and their caretakers: a nationwide study from Pakistan. J Emerg Med 2012; 42: 727-33.
• İlhan MN, Özkan S, Kurtcebe ZÖ, Aksakal FN. Gazi Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Hastanesinde çalışan araştırma görevlileri ve intörn doktorlarda şiddete maruziyet ve şiddetle ilişkili etmenler. Toplum Hekim Bul 2009; 28: 15-23.
• Erten R, Öztora S, Dağdeviren HN. Sağlık kuruluşlarında doktorlara yönelik şiddet maruziyetinin değerlendirilmesi. Türk Aile Hek Derg 2019; 23: 52-63.
• Ready FN. Sağlık çalışanları şiddet araştırması. Sağlık-Sen Yayınları 2013.
• AydemIer I, Üçlü R, Aydogan A. Acil servis personeline gore siddetin nedenleri/according to the emergency room staff the reasons for violence. J Ist Faculty Med 2020; 83: 60-9.