PREVALENCE OF WORKPLACE PHYSICAL VIOLENCE AGAINST HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS IN HOSPITAL

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) is defined as ‘violent acts, including physical assaults and threats of assault, directed toward the persons on duty or at work’. Growing public-health concern among Healthcare Workers (HCW’s) is WPV. The purpose of this study was to estimate prevalence of healthcare-associated violence. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Nishtar Hospital, Multan from June to August 2020. World Health Organization tool was used to collect quantitative data on different aspects of workplace violence after taking informed consent from universally selected 164 healthcare professionals working in the Emergency Department. Results: Out of 164 healthcare workers, 97 were males while 67 were females. More than 70% (115) had 1–5 years experience and 41 (25%) had more than 5 years experience. Sixty percent of the participants reported any form of violence during their careers, 57 (34.75%) reported physical violence while 41 (25%) reported verbal abuse. When talking about frequency of physical violent events, 84.2% reported more than once a month. All participants who reported physical violence and verbal abuse responded that the place of the incident was inside in the hospital/facility and could have been prevented. Conclusion: Violence inside workplace is at a higher note and is preventable. Academic institutions should teach the necessary skills also for responding to acts of violence. Pak J Physiol 2024;20(3):81-3, DOI: https://doi.org/10.69656/pjp.v20i3.1738