Workplace Violence Prevalence and Reporting in Home Health Care

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Criminology
• Sociology

Background:

• Workplace violence (WV) poses a significant occupational hazard for home health care workers (HHCWs).
• Existing research primarily focuses on Type II WV (patient/client), with limited data on Type III (coworker) and unknown data on Type IV (personal relationship) WV.
• HHCWs frequently underreport WV incidents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence and reporting of different types of workplace violence (WV) experienced by home health care workers (HHCWs).
• To identify the primary aggressors and reasons for underreporting WV among HHCWs.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study utilizing the Haddon Matrix framework was conducted.
• The Workplace Violence Reporting Survey, a 76-item tool, was administered to 46 HHCWs in Southwest Ohio.
• Data analysis involved frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations.

Main Results:

• Patients (28%), families (17%), and intimate partners (10.9%) were identified as primary aggressors of verbal abuse.
• HHCWs underreported WV due to perceptions of minor incidents, inaction, or considering it part of the job.
• Type II WV was most prevalent with patients as aggressors; physical assault and sexual abuse were reported.

Conclusions:

• Type II WV, particularly from patients, is the most pervasive form of violence experienced by HHCWs.
• Verbal abuse and physical assault perpetrated by intimate partners were underreported by HHCWs.
• Addressing underreporting requires understanding aggressor types and worker perceptions of WV incidents.