The Relationship Between Violent Behavior in Healthcare Settings and Communication Skills: An Empirical Study on Provincial Hospitals in Ankara

OBJECTIVE: Violence in the health care is a multifaceted and complex social phenomenon that attracts the attention of researchers and policymakers in many countries around the world. Violence against healthcare workers has several factors, but there are limited data on the association between violence against healthcare workers and the communication skills of healthcare workers. In this study, we examine the relationship between healthcare professionals’ communication skills and violent incidents experienced or witnessed by healthcare workers. METHODS: The sociodemographic and professional data of 296 healthcare professionals were obtained. All participants were assessed using a communication skills inventory. The total and categorical scores of the communication skills inventories were compared between participants who had been exposed to violence and those who had not. RESULTS: It was found that the emotional score of individuals who had suffered more than one physical attack was lower than that of others (P = .037). In addition, nurses were found to have more verbal violent behavior experience than their counterparts. Other comparisons were found to be insignificant. DISCUSSION: Healthcare professionals should not only evaluate complex problems such as violence in the health care but also emphasize the role of patients and their relatives. Violence against healthcare professionals cannot be based on a simple factor. We believe that there are many factors that lead to violence. The causes of violence in the health care should be examined by future studies.