Background: Workplace violence (WPV) is a major healthcare problem with important consequences in healthcare areas and may impact negatively not only healthcare workers but also the quality and safety of patient care.
Objectives: This an observational online web-based survey using Google® Modules, specifically aiming to investigate the phenomenon of WPV in Italian healthcare services.
Methods: Data collection for this study lasted one month, with the questionnaire available from 1 May 2021 to 31 May 2021. Continuous variables were considered as either mean ± standard deviation (SD) or median and interquartile range (IQR) based on their distribution. Comparison between groups was assessed by unpaired t-test or Mann-Whitney U test according to variable distribution. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-squared test.
Results: The study population consisted of 203 healthcare workers, represented by nurses (61.6%), medical doctors (16.8%), patient care assistants (4.9%), and others (16.7%). Female gender was associated with a 2.6 times higher risk for the presence of aggression (p = 0.034), and nurse as a job with about 4 times increased risk for the presence of aggression (p = 0.006). The risk for aggression increased by 5% for each year of work experience.
Conclusions: WPV is still matter of concern in Italian healthcare services. A strong organizational effort is demanded from healthcare institutions in order prevent internal and external violence in healthcare settings.
Keywords: healthcare workers; nurses; workplace violence.