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Professional Experience, Perceived Overcrowding, and Workplace Violence Exposure Among Emergency Healthcare
Ibraheem Abu Ras1, Imad Fashafsheh1, Nizar B Said2
1Faculty of Nursing, Arab American University, Jenin.
Introduction:
Workplace violence (WPV) is a major occupational safety concern in emergency departments, where healthcare professionals frequently interact with distressed patients and families under conditions of high workload and crowding. Shorter professional experience and perceived overcrowding may be associated with greater exposure to WPV, while formal reporting of incidents often remains limited.
Aim:
This study aimed to examine the prevalence of WPV exposure and formal reporting behavior among emergency healthcare professionals and to assess the association of professional experience and perceived overcrowding with WPV exposure.
Methods:
An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 nurses and physicians working in emergency departments of three tertiary hospitals within a large public healthcare system. A non-probability convenience sampling method was used. Data collection took place between January 2025 and April 2025 using a structured paper-based self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize WPV exposure, perceived risk factors, preventive strategies, and reporting behavior. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with WPV exposure.
Results:
Overall, 71.3% of participants reported exposure to WPV, and only 34.6% of exposed participants formally reported the most recent incident. Shorter emergency department experience was associated with higher odds of WPV exposure (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.39-3.17, p < .001). High perceived overcrowding was also associated with increased odds of WPV exposure (OR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.25-3.16, p = .004). Profession and gender were not significantly associated with WPV exposure in the multivariable model.
Conclusion:
WPV exposure was common among emergency healthcare professionals, whereas formal reporting was low. Shorter professional experience and perceived overcrowding were associated with greater odds of WPV exposure. These findings support the need for organizational strategies that strengthen violence prevention, support less experienced staff, and improve formal reporting systems.
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