Abstract
Background: Patient-perpetrated violence (PPV) against clinicians is a significant global concern that affects both the safety and well-being of clinicians. Despite abundant research into the negative impact on safety and quality of care, studies exploring public perceptions of PPV remain scarce. This study aimed to examine public perceptions of PPV against clinicians, focusing on the perceived prevalence of the phenomenon and public support for preventive and punitive measures.
Methods: This cross-sectional survey collected data from 1,375 Israelis, who rated the frequency of PPV incidents and their support for intervention strategies. Descriptive statistics were used to test the distribution of socio-demographic and study variables. Differences between groups were measured using a t-test for independent samples and ANOVA.
Results: A robust public acknowledgment of PPV was evident, with over 60% of respondents recognizing a frequent occurrence in healthcare settings. There was substantial support for preventive measures, with 85% endorsing stricter security protocols and legal actions and a significant positive correlation (r = 0.45, p < 0.01) between education and support for more stringent policies against PPV.
Conclusions: The study highlights the critical role of public opinion in shaping health policy to combat PPV. Our results suggest that policymakers should leverage these perceptions to formulate effective measures, recommend higher security, and conduct comprehensive educational public campaigns to address and reduce PPV across healthcare settings.
Notes
References:
Aharon, A. A., Warshawski, S., & Itzhaki, M. (2020). Public knowledge, attitudes, and intention to act violently, with regard to violence directed at health care staff. Nursing Outlook, 68(2), 220-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2019.08.005
Bashir, S., Cheema, S. M., & Ashiq, M. (2023). Impact of Workplace Violence on sustainable performance of nurses with the mediation of Social Well-being in the Pakistani context. Journal of Management and Research, 10(1), 26-57. https://doi.org/10.29145/jmr.101.02
Chirico, F., Afolabi, A. A., Ilesanmi, O., Nucera, G., Ferrari, G., Szarpak, L., Yildirim, M., & Magnavita, N. (2022). Workplace violence against healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review. Journal of Health and Social Sciences, 7(1), 14-35. https://doi.org/10.19204/2022/WRKP2
Gabay, G., & Shafran Tikva, S. (2020). Sexual harassment of nurses by patients and missed nursing care-A hidden population study. Journal of Nursing Management, 28(8), 1881-1887. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12976
Saleem, Z., Shenbei, Z., & Hanif, A. M. (2020). Workplace violence and employee engagement: The mediating role of work environment and organizational culture. Sage Open, 10(2), 2158244020935885. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020935885
Shafran Tikva, S., Gabay, G., & Kagan, I. (2022). Sexual harassment of religious Jewish nurses by patients and its relation to the ward's listening climate, care avoidance and quality of nursing care. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(6), 1610-1619. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13515
Shafran Tikva, S., Gabay, G., Shkoler, O., & Kagan, I. (2024). Association of quality of nursing care with violence load, burnout, and listening climate. Israel Journal of Health Policy Research, 13(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13584-024-00601-3
Sigma Membership
Phi Mu, Omega Lambda
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Cross-Sectional
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Workforce, Competence, lncivility, Patient-perpetrated Violence, PPV, Workplace Safety, Workplace Violence, Perceptions
Recommended Citation
Kagan, Ilya; Gabay, Gillie; and Shafran Tikva, Sigal, "Public Views on Violence Towards Clinicians" (2025). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 149.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2025/posters_2025/149
Conference Name
36th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Public Views on Violence Towards Clinicians
Seattle, Washington, USA
Background: Patient-perpetrated violence (PPV) against clinicians is a significant global concern that affects both the safety and well-being of clinicians. Despite abundant research into the negative impact on safety and quality of care, studies exploring public perceptions of PPV remain scarce. This study aimed to examine public perceptions of PPV against clinicians, focusing on the perceived prevalence of the phenomenon and public support for preventive and punitive measures.
Methods: This cross-sectional survey collected data from 1,375 Israelis, who rated the frequency of PPV incidents and their support for intervention strategies. Descriptive statistics were used to test the distribution of socio-demographic and study variables. Differences between groups were measured using a t-test for independent samples and ANOVA.
Results: A robust public acknowledgment of PPV was evident, with over 60% of respondents recognizing a frequent occurrence in healthcare settings. There was substantial support for preventive measures, with 85% endorsing stricter security protocols and legal actions and a significant positive correlation (r = 0.45, p < 0.01) between education and support for more stringent policies against PPV.
Conclusions: The study highlights the critical role of public opinion in shaping health policy to combat PPV. Our results suggest that policymakers should leverage these perceptions to formulate effective measures, recommend higher security, and conduct comprehensive educational public campaigns to address and reduce PPV across healthcare settings.
Description
Little is known about the general public's views regarding violence towards healthcare providers and the public's support for moves to promote the safety of the medical staff. In this study, a large sample of the public answered a questionnaire that examined the attitudes regarding the violence toward medical teams. The research findings shed light on the phenomenon from a new angle of view and offer directions for developing policies to prevent and deal with violence in the health care system.