Workplace Violence in the Emergency Department: A Bibliometric Analysis

Workplace violence against health care workers is a widespread global issue, particularly in emergency departments. This study aimed to identify and visualize research on workplace violence in the emergency department and reveal global trends in this field.

Publications related to workplace violence in the emergency department were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Scimago Graphica were used for bibliometric analysis and visualization.

A total of 348 articles were selected for this study. These articles were published across 50 countries from November 1, 1988 to December 31, 2024, with the United States, Australia, and China leading in publication output. These articles were featured in 142 journals, with the Journal of Emergency Nursing publishing the most (n = 33). Gillespie is both the most prolific author and among the most frequently cited in this field. Keyword clustering analysis identified 4 distinct research themes, including factors associated with the occurrence of violence, prevention strategies for workplace violence, its psychological and occupational impacts on emergency department staff, and different forms of violence. In addition, keyword burst analysis revealed emerging trend topics, notably "COVID-19," "experience," and "qualitative research."

Despite a growing body of research on workplace violence in the emergency department in recent years, incidents of violence continue to arise. This bibliometric study is the first to comprehensively summarize the research developments and trends in this field, identifying research frontiers and hotspots. The findings offer new perspectives on workplace violence in the emergency department and may inform future research on violence prevention strategies.