Prevalence and Impact of Violence Against Healthcare Workers in Brazilian Emergency Departments: A National Survey.
Introduction: Workplace violence (WPV) is a significant occupational hazard in healthcare, with emergency departments (EDs) recognized as high-risk environments. Although globally significant, data from Latin America remain scarce. In this study we aimed to evaluate the prevalence and effects of WPV...
| Published in: | Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health Vol. 26; no. 6; pp. 1769 - 1781 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
| Format: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Published: |
Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health
Nov2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=190425308&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ccm uiTerm: 190425308 longDbName: CINAHL Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: dissinfo: jinfo: jid: 1936900X 8B61 jtl: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health issn: 1936900X maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Nov2025 vid: 26 iid: 6 pid: 29816 pub: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health place: Orange, California artinfo: ui: 190425308 190425308 190425308 10.5811/westjem.45138 190425308 ppf: 1769 ppct: 12 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: P tig: atl: Prevalence and Impact of Violence Against Healthcare Workers in Brazilian Emergency Departments: A National Survey. aug: au: Dorn de Carvalho, Julia M. McGuire, Sarayna S. Oliveira, Lucas L. R. Bellolio, Fernanda Ranzani, Otávio T. A. M. Pinheiro Besen, Bruno Penna Guimarães, Helio Mullan, Aidan F. Camila Lunardi, Maria Hajjar, Ludhmila A. Maia, Ian Ward A. affil: Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Department of Emergency Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil sug: subj: Workplace Violence Evaluation Health Personnel Psychosocial Factors Emergency Service Brazil Human Adult Middle Age Brazil Verbal Abuse Risk Factors Cross Sectional Studies Surveys Violence Psychosocial Factors Odds Ratio Confidence Intervals Assault and Battery Risk Assessment Public Offenders Psychosocial Factors Patient Abuse Security Measures Workplace Violence Prevention and Control Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Symptoms Personnel Turnover Job Performance Time World Wide Web Applications Male Female Occupational Safety Staff Development Descriptive Statistics Chi Square Test Fisher's Exact Test Univariate Statistics Logistic Regression Multivariate Analysis Data Analysis Software Funding Source Adult: 19-44 years Middle Aged: 45-64 years Male Female ab: Introduction: Workplace violence (WPV) is a significant occupational hazard in healthcare, with emergency departments (EDs) recognized as high-risk environments. Although globally significant, data from Latin America remain scarce. In this study we aimed to evaluate the prevalence and effects of WPV on healthcare workers in Brazilian EDs. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of healthcare workers in Brazilian EDs. Respondents indicated verbal and physical violence experienced within the preceding six months, along with associated psychological and occupational impacts. Univariable models identified significant associated factors, followed by multivariable models to determine independent associated factors of WPV. We reported results as adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals. Statistical analyses were performed in R v4.4.1, and significance was defined as P < .05. Results: The response rate was 19.1% (1,255/6,570), Of those responses, 61.3% (769/1,255) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Of all respondents, 84.0% were physicians. Respondents indicated 79.6% (612/769) occurrence of WPV, including verbal abuse (79.5%) and physical assault (12.1%). Physical assaults against co-workers were witnessed by 40.3% of respondents. Perpetrators included visitors (85.3%), patients (80.7%), and co-workers (35.8%). The absence of institutional preventive measures was associated with increased WPV (aOR, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.71-3.57; P < .001), while the presence of security staff reduced WPV (aOR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.42-0.89; P = .01). Indicated impact included post-traumatic stress symptoms (88.4%), considering leaving their job (49.5%), impaired workplace performance (75.2%), and time off work (10%), including 11.5% permanently leaving. Conclusion: Workplace violence is highly prevalent in Brazilian EDs, with substantial psychological and occupational consequences. The absence of protocols or preventive measures may increase WPV risk, emphasizing the urgent need for public policies to protect healthcare workers in emergency settings. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: research tables/charts Journal Article ougenre: Article language: English refInfo: holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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