Workplace Violence towards Healthcare Workers: An Italian Cross-Sectional Survey

Workplace violence (WPV) is a major healthcare problem with important consequences in healthcare areas and may impact negatively not only healthcare workers but also the quality and safety of patient care.

This an observational online web-based survey using Google^® Modules, specifically aiming to investigate the phenomenon of WPV in Italian healthcare services.

Data collection for this study lasted one month, with the questionnaire available from 1 May 2021 to 31 May 2021. Continuous variables were considered as either mean ± standard deviation (SD) or median and interquartile range (IQR) based on their distribution. Comparison between groups was assessed by unpaired t-test or Mann-Whitney U test according to variable distribution. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-squared test.

The study population consisted of 203 healthcare workers, represented by nurses (61.6%), medical doctors (16.8%), patient care assistants (4.9%), and others (16.7%). Female gender was associated with a 2.6 times higher risk for the presence of aggression (p = 0.034), and nurse as a job with about 4 times increased risk for the presence of aggression (p = 0.006). The risk for aggression increased by 5% for each year of work experience.

WPV is still matter of concern in Italian healthcare services. A strong organizational effort is demanded from healthcare institutions in order prevent internal and external violence in healthcare settings.