Violence against healthcare workers during coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Egypt: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers are on the front lines of COVID-19 and are subject to risks. A rise in the cases of violence and aggressiveness against HCWs has been observed worldwide, adding to the already existing burnout. The purpose of this research is to determine the prevalence of workplace violence, its risk variables, and the pattern of violence directed towards healthcare workers in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. The research used a cross-sectional analytic design. Purposive sampling was utilized to identify research participants using an online survey. Form’s link was distributed to accessible social media groups such as Facebook and WhatsApp from July 2020 to the end of October 2020. A self-administered structured survey was adapted from the World Health Organization survey questionnaire about violence in healthcare settings. The Google Form’s link was distributed to the social media groups until the total sample of 405 was collected. RESULTS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, workplace violence against Egyptian healthcare workers was prevalent (63.2%). The most prevailing type of violence among the exposed participants was verbal violence (87.9%). Violence is more common in the (< 40 years old) age group (80.9% of exposed healthcare workers). Violence was more statistically significant against females (60.5% of the exposed healthcare workers) (p-value = 0.023). Regarding the work specialty, violence was more committed against physicians (84.3% of exposed healthcare workers) than nurses (12.8% of exposed healthcare workers). The primary perpetrators of violence were the patient’s family (74.6%). The majority of the exposed HCWs (96%) reported no physical injury from the violent event, and 71.5% deemed the violent incident preventable. The majority (90.6%) of HCWs exposed to violent incidents declared non-reporting. CONCLUSIONS: Effective risk communication at all levels of society is critical for reducing fear, stigma, and ultimately workplace violence, as recent assaults on healthcare institutions demonstrate. To reduce violence and safeguard the safety of the medical profession, the government, health policymakers, media organizations, and community engagement groups must collaborate for healthcare workers’ safety.