Violence Prevention in Healthcare Settings

Violence is considered an important and priority public health problem that affects all healthcare professionals and has become an increasingly common and worrying phenomenon worldwide. Violence against healthcare staff is a significant global issue with serious consequences. Healthcare staff are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than other professions. Violence not only harms healthcare professional staff but also institutions, but also can harm institutions and patients. Violence prevention in healthcare settings is crucial for ensuring the safety and well-being of both healthcare staff and patients. Healthcare staff should have a safe work environment; therefore, healthcare providers should provide a safe work environment for healthcare staff. It is important to take the necessary measures to prevent violence in healthcare settings. Violence in healthcare settings needs to be addressed by appropriate stakeholders through continued research on effective interventions. Violence in healthcare settings presents significant challenges to the well-being of healthcare staff and the quality of patient care. Addressing this issue requires a multifaceted approach that includes training programmes, environmental design considerations, policy enhancements, and community strategies for prevention. This chapter provides an overview of violence in the healthcare setting, its effects, and the importance of violence prevention. In addition, the causes of violence were examined in three dimensions: patient-related factors, staff-related factors, and environmental factors. Strategies for violence prevention were discussed and these include training and education programmes, security measures and physical design, effective communication and de-escalation techniques, and policy-based strategies.