Violence against healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in southern Nigeria a descriptive cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) is an entity that cuts across all work settings with a high prevalence in the health sector particularly in low and middle-income countries where conditions of care and service are poor. Aim: To determine the prevalence, types and factors associated with violence against healthcare workers in Federal Medical Centre Asaba and to identify the strategies to mitigate its occurrence. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between 1st April and 30th September 2023 amongst 200 consenting clinical health care workers at the Federal Medical Centre Asaba using semi-structured, self-administered questionnaires with 194 correctly filled forms retrieved from the study participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25 with a p-value < 0.05 considered significant. Results: The prevalence of WPV in this study was 88.1%. The predominant type of violence experienced was verbal (76.8%) followed by physical assault (12.9%). Patient relatives were the most common perpetrators of WPV experienced. Long waiting periods, unavailability of medical supplies, unexpected death or deterioration of patient’s health and shortage of staff were the commonest identifiable risk factors for WPV by the respondents. Conclusion: The prevalence of workplace violence in this study was unacceptably high. There is a need for relevant stakeholders to put in place pragmatic strategies to mitigate this ugly trend as the safety of healthcare workers is vital to the efficient functioning of health systems.