Exploring the nature of workplace violence against healthcare staff: an online survey in Jordan

Background/Aims Workplace violence against healthcare staff is global problem, with serious implications for the safety and wellbeing of healthcare professionals. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of workplace violence in hospital settings and the circumstances surrounding it, as well as staff members' responses, coping mechanisms and available support in Jordan. Methods This descriptive exploratory study used a retrospective cross-sectional design, collecting data from 651 healthcare workers with an online survey. Multiple-choice items were used to collect information on respondents' experience of workplace violence, including the nature of the incident, the impact and support received. 5-point Likert scales were used to measure respondents' emotional response to incidents and their level of satisfaction with how it was handled by managers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data, with SPSS version 25. Results Nearly half (n=316, 48.5%) of the 651 participants had experienced workplace violence in the previous 1 year, with verbal violence being the most common type. Perpetrators of violent incidents were most commonly patients' friends or relatives (32.3%) and patients themselves (31.4%). The most common reasons for not reporting the incident was the perception that doing so was unimportant or useless. Many felt dissatisfied with their organisation's handling of the incident (46.8%), with only 7.0% feeling very satisfied. Conclusions Violence against healthcare staff is unacceptably common, reflecting the impact of this global problem on hospitals in Jordan. This study also found negative perceptions of reporting incidents. This reflects the need for more effective violence prevention measures to ensure that healthcare staff are safe in the workplace and feel able to report incidents when they do occur. Implications for practice The high prevalence of workplace violence found in this study underline the need for zero-tolerance policies to ensure a safe workplace. This could include establishing effective and accessible reporting systems and implementing regular training on how to manage workplace conflicts and violence.