BMJ Global Health (Sep 2023)

ViSHWaS: Violence Study of Healthcare Workers and Systems—a global survey

  • ,
  • Faisal Nawaz,
  • Daniel Martin Simadibrata,
  • Vikas Bansal,
  • Ramesh Adhikari,
  • Mariam Elsaban,
  • Rahul Kashyap,
  • Priyadarshini Bhattacharjee,
  • Jorge Salluh,
  • Hassan Dawood Alli,
  • Joanna Lee,
  • Dattatreya Mukherjee,
  • Tanja Kovačević,
  • Mohammad Yasir Essar,
  • Christos Tsagkaris,
  • Genesis Camacho-Leon,
  • Faizan Ahmad,
  • Akshat Banga,
  • Hans Mautong,
  • Razan Alamoudi,
  • Umme Habiba Faisal,
  • Gaurang Bhatt,
  • Tanya Amal,
  • Ayushi Mendiratta,
  • Bhaswanth Bollu,
  • L V Simhachalam Kutikuppala,
  • Ivan Huespe,
  • Aisha Khalid,
  • Mohammed Amir Rais,
  • Alisha Lakhani,
  • Piyush Garg,
  • Harsha Pattnaik,
  • Raghu Gandhi,
  • Ramesh Pandit,
  • Pierre Ciza N,
  • Nimsi Barrios,
  • Kelly Meza,
  • Susan Okonkwo,
  • Amuza Dhabuliwo,
  • Hafeez Hamza,
  • Arash Nemat,
  • Anne Kampa,
  • Rakhtan K Qasba,
  • Pranjal Sharma,
  • Taru Dutt,
  • Pratikkumar Vekaria,
  • Faisal A Nawaz,
  • Salim Surani,
  • L V Simhachalam Kutikuppala,
  • Divya Randhawa,
  • Rakhtan Qasba,
  • Trupti Pandit,
  • Ayesha Khalid,
  • Ravina Verma,
  • Kush Shah,
  • John Counsell,
  • Naresh Dasari,
  • Melissa Schlenker,
  • Raghavendra Tirupathi,
  • Gowthami Sai Jagirdhar,
  • Nancy Nagib,
  • Benjamin Schlenker,
  • Taha Mansoor,
  • N Pierre Ciza,
  • Leydi Del Lema,
  • Susan Sheila,
  • Bello Saifullah Muhammad,
  • Barakat Kolawole,
  • L V Kutikuppala,
  • Keidy Zamora,
  • Bikona Ghosh,
  • Sama Soliman,
  • Zainab Ayoob,
  • Lina Almahmoud,
  • Dohha Mohammed,
  • Oyindamola Obadare,
  • Era Mae Ramirez,
  • Kalloush Shahed,
  • Mohammed Yasir Essar,
  • Sarya Swed,
  • Temaa Alklani,
  • Ishimwe Florent,
  • Goodluck Nchasi,
  • Daren Poh How,
  • Mohamed Elfagieh,
  • Moath Almekhlafi,
  • Reshon Hadmon,
  • Anasonye Emmanuel,
  • Yosra Magdi Makki,
  • Rodrigue Ndabashinze,
  • Hussein Dawoud,
  • Dimitrios Kantas,
  • Daniella Myriam Pierre,
  • Zeynep Pelin Orhan,
  • Usama Oguz,
  • Hedys Selene Mogollón,
  • Ramesha Remy,
  • Marija Vukoja,
  • Srdjan Gavrilovic,
  • Alicja Rydzewska Rosolowska,
  • Umme Faisal,
  • Franz Lopez,
  • Salem Ramirez,
  • Lisdamys Morera Gonzalez,
  • Mohammed Alkawak,
  • Marco Antonio Villar,
  • Kelly Maza,
  • Shehu Bledi,
  • Jonida Naska

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013101
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 9

Abstract

Read online

Objective To provide insights into the nature, risk factors, impact and existing measures for reporting and preventing violence in the healthcare system. The under-reporting of violence against healthcare workers (HCWs) globally highlights the need for increased public awareness and education.Methods The Violence Study of Healthcare Workers and Systems study used a survey questionnaire created using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) forms and distributed from 6 June to 9 August 2022. Logistic regression analysis evaluated violence predictors, including gender, age, years of experience, institution type, respondent profession and night shift frequency. A χ2 test was performed to determine the association between gender and different violence forms.Results A total of 5405 responses from 79 countries were analysed. India, the USA and Venezuela were the top three contributors. Female respondents comprised 53%. The majority (45%) fell within the 26–35 age group. Medical students (21%), consultants (20%), residents/fellows (15%) and nurses (10%) constituted highest responders. Nearly 55% HCWs reported firsthand violence experience, and 16% reported violence against their colleagues. Perpetrators were identified as patients or family members in over 50% of cases, while supervisor-incited violence accounted for 16%. Around 80% stated that violence incidence either remained constant or increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among HCWs who experienced violence, 55% felt less motivated or more dissatisfied with their jobs afterward, and 25% expressed willingness to quit. Univariate analysis revealed that HCWs aged 26–65 years, nurses, physicians, ancillary staff, those working in public settings, with >1 year of experience, and frequent night shift workers were at significantly higher risk of experiencing violence. These results remained significant in multivariate analysis, except for the 55–65 age group, which lost statistical significance.Conclusion This global cross-sectional study highlights that a majority of HCWs have experienced violence, and the incidence either increased or remained the same during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has resulted in decreased job satisfaction.