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. 2023 Sep;8(9):e013101.
doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013101.

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

Akshat Banga  1 , Hans Mautong  2 , Razan Alamoudi  3 , Umme Habiba Faisal  4 , Gaurang Bhatt  5 , Tanya Amal  6 , Ayushi Mendiratta  7 , Bhaswanth Bollu  8 , L V Simhachalam Kutikuppala  9 , Joanna Lee  10 , Daniel Martin Simadibrata  11   12 , Ivan Huespe  13 , Aisha Khalid  14 , Mohammed Amir Rais  15 , Ramesh Adhikari  16 , Alisha Lakhani  17 , Piyush Garg  18 , Harsha Pattnaik  19 , Raghu Gandhi  20 , Ramesh Pandit  21 , Faizan Ahmad  22 , Genesis Camacho-Leon  23 , Pierre Ciza N  24 , Nimsi Barrios  25 , Kelly Meza  26 , Susan Okonkwo  27 , Amuza Dhabuliwo  28 , Hafeez Hamza  29 , Arash Nemat  30 , Mohammad Yasir Essar  31 , Anne Kampa  32 , Rakhtan K Qasba  33 , Pranjal Sharma  34 , Taru Dutt  35 , Pratikkumar Vekaria  36   37 , Vikas Bansal  38 , Faisal A Nawaz  39 , Salim Surani  38   40 , Rahul Kashyap  41   42 ; For GRRSP-ViSHWaS Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

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

Akshat Banga et al. BMJ Glob Health. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: community-based survey; cross-sectional survey; health education and promotion; prevention strategies; public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of total survey responses and total number of countries.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Probable cause of violence as per survey responses—self and colleague.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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