Violence against primary health care workers in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia

This self-report questionnaire study was carried out in Al-Hassa, Saudi Arabia to highlight the magnitude, predictors, and circumstances of workplace violence against primary health care (PHC) workers. A total of 1,091 workers completed a self-administered questionnaire. About 28% were exposed to at least one violent event during the past year. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the most important predictors of violence are high education of workers (OR = 9.3), working in emergency clinics (OR = 6.8), and in Hegar (OR = 3.2). Emotional and physical violence accounted for 92.1% and 7.9% of violent events, respectively. Unmet needs of patients, overcrowding, and reaction to injury or illness were the leading contributing factors for violence. There is a need for violence prevention and control program in health care facilities.