Workplace violence in three public sector emergency departments, Gauteng, South Africa : a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Workplace violence against health care workers in Emergency Departments (EDs) is a global concern. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and types of workplace violence in EDs. METHODS: a cross-sectional survey was conducted in three public sector hospital EDs in Gauteng, South Africa. A self-administered, standardised online questionnaire developed by the World Health organization was used to collect data between March and November 2022. A total of 65 health care workers which consisted of nurses (24) and doctors (41) participated in the study. RESULTS: The prevalence of workplace violence was 73.8 % with verbal abuse being the most common type at 66 %. Eighty-two percent of the victims did not report the incident. Poor communication and lack of mutual respect among staff and healthcare users contributed to both physical and non-physical workplace violence. CONCLUSION: Workplace violence appears to be a common occurrence in EDs in the hospitals surveyed in Gauteng. It is regarded as a typical incident by respondents, and it is underreported. It has a direct negative impact on health care workers and their working environment and indirectly on patients. Urgent attention from all stakeholders is needed to minimize the prevalence of these incidents.