Staff attitudes toward violence in the general hospital. A comparison between Amsterdam and Tel Aviv

Abstract

This study reports the results of a cross-cultural comparative investigation of violent behavior of patients, relatives, and visitors toward the medical staff in two general hospitals. The situation in an Israeli community general hospital in Tel Aviv was compared to that of a Dutch university hospital. General impressions existed that violence appeared to be a serious problem in the hospital in Tel Aviv, whereas there are scarcely any reports of violence in general hospitals in the Netherlands. Semistructured interviews with members of the medical and nursing staff confirmed these impressions. In Israel, the "aggressor" would be described as a young male without any specific traits, whereas in the Netherlands, he would be associated with alcohol abuse, drug addiction, and would possibly belong to street gangs or be a member of a minority group. Circumstances that may lead to violence are mentioned and situational, and social and cultural influences are discussed.