Is Being an Emergency Service Professional a Risk Factor for Violence in Healthcare

Abstract

Aim: Violent incidents have become an increasing problem in our hospitals. Many violent incidents cause devastating damage to healthcare personnel. In this study, we aimed to examine the etiological differences between physical and verbal violence in violent incidents seen in hospitals, and especially whether being an emergency service professional has an effect on physical and verbal violence. Materials and Method: Four-year white code case records between 2018 and 2022 in a tertiary hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The type and setting of violence, the gender, and the occupation of the perpetrator were recorded. The cases were divided into two groups: physical violence and verbal violence. The collected data were compared between the groups. Results: During the indicated period, 231 cases of code white were reported. While 51.9% of those affected by violence were men, the mean age was 33 (28-40). Physicians were the most common professional group affected by violence, with 102 individuals (44.2%). The most common site of violence was the emergency service, at 54.5%. The rate of physical violence in the emergency department was found to be higher than verbal violence (63.9%-51.2%), although it was not statistically significant. In cases of physical violence, the proportion of the individual exposed to violence being male was statistically significantly higher than in cases of verbal violence (43/61(70.5%), 77/170(%47) <0,001). The proportion of female perpetrators of verbal violence was statistically significantly higher than that of physical violence (35/170(20.6%), 3/61(4.9%), <0,001). Conclusion: In our study, it was found that those exposed to physical violence were mostly men. It has been determined that women use verbal violence more than physical violence. Physicians were more exposed to verbal violence. In addition, although the propotion of emergency room location in physical violence incidents was higher than in verbal violence incidents, the difference was not found to be statistically significant. Keywords: Physical violence, verbal violence, code white, emergency service