Assessment and Analysis of Workplace Violence in a Greek Tertiary Hospital

Abstract

This study sought to assess workplace violence in a Greek tertiary hospital for the first time. The authors conducted a descriptive study with 175 participants and examined the characteristics of violent episodes, the responses of victims and the administration, and the perception of workplace safety in addition to the implications of these incidents. The vast majority of employees (83.4%) had experienced work-related violence; however, half of them (52%) had not reported the incident to the hospital administration. Verbal violence was the most common type of incident (98.6%). Nurses and other health care staff reported feeling safer than physicians (odds ratio [OR] = 4.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.94-10.28 and OR = 2.80, 95% CI: 1.64-8.74, respectively). A large proportion of victims (72.6%) suffered psychological consequences following the violent incident. This study reveals the high prevalence of workplace violence in a Greek tertiary hospital and underscores its negative impact on health care workers.

Keywords: Greece; health care sector; workplace violence.