Violence to the healthcare professionals in the ICU: Does the anger level of patient's relatives effects their opinions?

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we aimed to determine the opinions of patient's relatives about violence to the healthcare professionals and it's relationship between their anger levels in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: In this cross-sectional and descriptive study the relatives of ICU patients, hospitalized in an university hospital, were formed the subject of the study. Questionnaire including socio-demographic characteristics of the patients' relatives and their opinions on violence to healthcare professionals and Trait Anger and Anger Expression Scale were used in the collection of data. Number percentages, averages, Mann-Whitney-U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to evaluate data by using SPSS 21.0 software. RESULTS: In this study, 92% of the respondents think that violence is not a way of seeking rights; and 13.3% of them express 'sometimes' they confirm the violance to healthcare professionals. Respondents expressed that the causes of the violance was, to be kept waiting for long period (69.3%), insufficient information about the patient (66.7%), impatient behaviors of patients' relatives (53.3%), and insufficient education (44%). Trait anger and anger expression scores of the patient's relatives who is sometimes confirm the violance was high, anger control scores was low (p<0.05). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Violence cases are caused by individual characteristics of people who uses violence as well as healthcare professionals and health system. Individual's anger level increases, more difficult to control their temper and violent tendencies are increasing.

Keywords

• violence
• anger
• patient relative
• healthcare professional