Workplace violence in emergency department and its effects on emergency staff

Abstract

Workplace violence (WPV) is a growing problem for healthcare providers, particularly for those in the Emergency department (ED), with its increasing frequency and severity. Characteristics of WPV are similar in different parts of the World with different sociocultural and economic status. As this problem remains unsolved, its unwanted effects on mental and physical health of staff become more problematic. The most common psychological affectsare reduced job satisfaction and fear. When the reasons of WPV are investigated; lack of preventive policies, educational inadequacy, unwillingness to report assaults as a result of a consideration of violence as a routine by the staff and unmet expectations of patients and their family may be listed. In the short term, increasing the number of security personnel, flagging the names of the patients with a potential of aggression in the computer system and reducing length of stay in the ED are measures to implement immediately. In the long term, governments must focus on this subject and develop necessary policies including educational programmes in order to reduce WPV, before it is too late for another ED worker. © 2014, Chevron Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.