Assessing the experiences of violence among healthcare workers in Calgary emergency departments

Violence in emergency departments (EDs) is common and underreported. ED healthcare workers are at high risk of workplace violence, increasing burnout rates and healthcare costs. This study aims to (1) describe the perceptions, experiences, and impact of violence on Calgary's ED staff and (2) identify facilitators and barriers to reporting violence in Calgary EDs.

A cross-sectional study design was used to survey nurses, physicians, and other healthcare workers across Calgary EDs using an anonymous questionnaire on Qualtrics. Participants were recruited through online and poster advertisements within EDs, email, and word of mouth. Multiple choice, ranking, and open-ended questions were employed. Chi-square test for Independence and Fischer's Exact Test were conducted to analyze categorical data. Open-ended responses were coded and tabulated as categorical data.

320 healthcare workers participated, including 179 nurses, 77 physicians, 11 HCAs, and 53 other healthcare workers. A majority reported increased ED violence in the last 5 years (81%). While verbal abuse and name-calling were reported as the most common forms of violence (97% and 91%), 82% of participants also reported physical violence, with 75% reporting one or more physical assaults in the past year. 29% reported injury due to workplace assault, with 17% missing work due to injury. The most common barriers to reporting included: (1) no action taken to address incidents, (2) inconvenience of reporting, and 3) nobody was hurt.

This study demonstrates that verbal and physical violence are common in EDs. Persistent barriers to reporting highlight the urgent need for clear, consistently enforced policies to prevent and address violence in EDs.