Risk Management of Workplace Violence against Healthcare Workers. The experience of a Local Health Authority of Italian National Service.

Abstract

Workplace violence is a worldwide problem with a higher incidence in sectors requiring intense human interactions, of which the healthcare sector is a prominent example. In Italy, hospital violence is common, especially among psychiatrists, who have been reported at high risk for verbal aggression, injuries, threats with dangerous objects, stalking, and physical aggression. The objectives of this study are the following: to describe the four-year incidence of aggressive acts against all healthcare workers of the ASL Roma 2, exploring the experience of healthcare workers with aggression using a form completed within 72 hours of the aggressive act, to identify the type of event reported, discipline/area of care involved, location of the event, outcome of the event and to identify potential risk factors associated with aggressive acts.