Workplace violence experienced by occupational therapists who visit people in their own homes

Occupational therapists often visit people in their own homes to assess their needs and provide interventions. The home is an important environment as this is where functional activities take place. However, occupational therapists can be at risk of workplace violence from clients and their families, especially if they visit clients alone. Clients may be upset and frustrated by their situations and could strike out. We know very little about workplace violence experienced by occupational therapists, and this study used an online survey to explore how commonly this occurs, the type of incidents experienced, the actions that occupational therapists took following the incident, and how these experiences affected their well-being. We found that workplace violence included verbal attacks and physical and sexual violence. Overall, 76.2% of participants reported any kind of violence. The most frequent type of violence was verbal abuse followed by unwanted sexual attention, verbal sexual abuse, and physical violence with and without objects. Three participants reported a sexual assault. However, fewer participants took actions following the incidents such as reporting it informally or formally. This means that workplace violence is likely to be underreported by occupational therapists. We also found that occupational therapists who were exposed to workplace violence reported higher distress, higher cynicism, and lower professional accomplishment, suggesting a risk of burnout. As employers are required to protect the health and safety of their employees, these findings are very important, and the occupational therapy profession should also address them.