Professional Preparedness Implications of Workplace Violence against Medical Students in Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Workplace violence is an increasing public health concern around the world. In Vietnam, attacks on healthcare workers have become a huge issue in recent years. Our study aims to shed more light on the issue and look at what variables affect acts of violence toward healthcare workers. We conducted this cross-sectional study by surveying 550 medical students from 3 universities in Vietnam. Following this survey on SurveyMonkey’s platform (surveymonkey.com), the participants were suggested to invite their associates who met the selection criteria to join in this online survey. The structured questionnaire included demographics and details on the violence. There were 90.5% of respondents were medical students, the mean age was 23.3, and verbal abuse had a prevalence rate of 29.3%. Women respondents are less likely to suffer from violent experiences than men (OR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.28-0.84), and those specializing in nurse and technician also faced a lower rate of acts of aggression (physical violence: OR = 0.35; 95% CI = 0.19-0.63, sexual harassment: OR = 0.36; 95% CI = 0.15-0.87, and any type of violence: OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.37-0.82). Medical students working in Ho Chi Minh City (OR = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.34-0.89), and other regions (OR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.19-0.85) were significantly less likely to face verbal abuse than those working in Hanoi. The workplace culture needs to be changed to make sure that people feel comfortable reporting, especially those who are younger. Protecting medical students also ensures patient safety since victims of assault in the workplace can have severe aftereffects affecting their ability to provide good patient care. Hence, policies need to be implemented at both the government and hospital administration levels to keep health workers safe.