The Impact of Criminalizing Workplace Violence: A Study of Healthcare Workers in Saudi Arabia After Policy Changes

Background:-Violence against the healthcare workers (HCW) is a growing problem. Workplace violence (WPV) has direct impact on the HCW health and well-being which adversely affect the services provided. Our study aims to explore the landscape of workplace violence against healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia. We will examine the situation after the Ministry of Health's (MoH) crucial declaration classifying violence against healthcare personnel as a crime. Methods:-Web-based Self-administered questionnaire sent to HCW official emails. The World Health Organization questionnaire on violence against HCWs utilized to gather data on WPV. A sufficient sample size was found to be 377 participants. As such, the final sample consisted of 377 total HCWs, with a response rate of 50%. Results:-458 responses received. Of them, (31.0%) experienced workplace violence, with verbal violence (91.5%) domination. Gender (x2= 6.23, p= <0.01), occupation (x2= 54.94, p= <0.001), years of experience (x2= 11.63, p= <0.04), working in shifts (x2= 21.50, p= <0.001), have direct contact with patients (x2= 60.10, p= <0.001), and working mostly with children (x2= 5.41, p= <0.02) and or adolescents (x2= 5.65, p= <0.01) are all factors significantly associated with workplace violence. Conclusion:-Our results confirm that criminalizing violence against healthcare workers has positive impact in reducing workplace violence.