Why Violence Cannot be Prevented in Healthcare Settings in Türkiye?: A Retrospective Policy Analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Policy
• Violence Prevention

Background:

• Health-related violence poses a significant challenge globally.
• Preventive policies are essential for mitigating violence within healthcare settings.
• Understanding the effectiveness of existing policies is critical for future strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a retrospective analysis of preventive policies for health-related violence in Türkiye.
• To identify key stakeholders and their roles in policy development and implementation.
• To assess the factors contributing to the success of health violence prevention legislation.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 26 documents.
• Data collection via gray literature databases (OECD iLibrary, WHO Iris), Google searches, website scans, and expert consultations.
• Data analysis using the Health Policy Triangle framework.

Main Results:

• Diverse stakeholders (government, political entities, professional organizations, trade unions) actively participated in prevention initiatives.
• Legislation for health violence prevention was adopted, a key achievement driven by media and stakeholder efforts.
• Sustained policy agenda prominence offers potential for new violence prevention strategies.

Conclusions:

• Comprehensive investigation into healthcare worker conditions (working conditions, personal rights, wage policies) is necessary.
• Effective mechanisms are needed to address factors precipitating violence against healthcare workers.
• Policy analysis highlights the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in health violence prevention.