Workplace violence toward emergency medicine physicians in the hospitals of Taif city, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND: Workplace violence against health care workers is an emerging concern in various global health settings and the documentation of physical and verbal attacks against physicians in tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia is uncommon. This study aimed to determine the incidence of workplace violence against physicians in the emergency department of selected tertiary hospitals in Taif City, Saudi Arabia from June to July 2021. Associations between the incidence of violence and interventions and type of physicians and years of experience were also investigated. METHODOLOGY: Using a cross-sectional design, a total of 96 physicians were recruited to answer the World Health Organization Questionnaire on Violence against Health Care Workers last June to July 2021. RESULTS: It was found out that 75 physicians (78.1%) experienced verbal violence while 14 physicians (14.6%) experienced physical violence. Most of the workplace violence happened within hospital premises (84.4%). Despite having an experience of verbal and physical violence, only 44.8% of the respondents reported the incidents. The most common instigators were patients (55.21%), their relatives (78.00%), external colleagues (9.37%) and staff members (6.25%). Most respondents took no action, or reported the incidence to the police or senior staff member. The incidence of workplace violence and type of physician showed significant association. The number of years of practice in emergency medicine also exhibited statistically significant association with the incidence of verbal attack, frequency of violence, and location of incident. CONCLUSION: There is high incidence of workplace violence among physicians in tertiary hospitals, and younger physicians with less experience in emergency medicine were the most susceptible to both verbal and physical violence. There is a need to strengthen policies to protect physicians against workplace violence.