Violence against physicians and nurses: a systematic literature review

Background Violence against physicians and nurses is a global public health problem. This study explored violence against physicians and nurses using a systematic literature review. Methods Pubmed and Scopus were searched using search words 'violence' OR 'aggression' 'against' 'physicians' AND 'nurses'. Articles published between 2010 and 2020 in the English language, excluding review/systemic review articles, were included in the study. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for literature search and reporting and assessed the quality of the article based on the JBI checklist for analytical cross sectional studies. Results A total of 22 studies were included. The majority of the studies showed that there was a significant violent incident within every setting, often directly involving patients or their relatives. Workers of emergency departments were more likely to be exposed to violence. Verbal abuses were the highest among all settings. Physicians were more likely to face physical violence, while nurses were more prone to sexual harassment. Lack of communication plays a significant role. Fewer reports of violence were noted due to lack of action taken previously. Conclusion Adequate policy making and implementation and operational research are required to further mitigate the episodes of violence.

Automated summary

This study conducted a systematic literature review to explore violence against physicians and nurses globally. The majority of the included studies showed significant incidents of violence in various healthcare settings, with emergency department workers being more vulnerable. Verbal abuses were the most common form of violence, and physicians were more prone to physical violence while nurses were more likely to experience sexual harassment. Lack of communication played a significant role in contributing to these incidents of violence.