Research Progress of Workplace Violence among General Practitioners at Home and Abroad: Prevalence, Influencing Factors, and Intervention Strategies

Abstract

General practitioners are medical personnel with high integrated degree, and are the "gatekeepers" of residents' health. Violent incidents affecting health care not only seriously harm the the physical and psychological health of general practitioners, also affect the quality and level of basic medical services, which increases the turnover of general practitioners and the economic burden on the health care system. Previous studies have shown that more than half of general practitioners had experienced workplace violence, with the most common types including verbal violence and threats, followed by physical violence, sexual harassment and assault, patients and their family members were the main perpetrators. The failure of the medical services quality to meet the demands of patients, alcohol abuse, drug abuse and mental disorders of perpetrators, poor physician-patient communication were important factors associated with workplace violence. It is suggested to improve policies and regulations, norms of conduct related to workplace violence of healthcare workers, establish and improve the reporting and punishment mechanisms, enhance the capacity of healthcare workers and health care institutions to provide medical services and prevent workplace violence, give proper play to the role of the public media, promote the establishment of "zero-tolerance" system for violence.

Keywords

• general practitioners|workplace violence|occupational stress|root cause analysis|intervention strategies