Prevalence of workplace violence against nurses in Iran and its related factors

Abstract Background: Workplace violence is a relatively common problem in most jobs. The medical personnel especially nursing staff has been exposed to a great deal of violence from patients, companions, and colleagues, and it is necessary to determine its frequency by controlling it. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of workplace violence against nurses. Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive study which was performed among 200 qualified nursing staff working in Imam Hossain Hospital in Shahroud of Iran. In this study, after selecting individuals and obtaining informed consent, demographic and workplace violence questionnaires in health sector were collected. Results: Of the 200 participants, 177 (88.5%) were female and the rest were male. The mean age of the participants was 35.8 ± 13.5 years. 81.5% of who were nurses. Also, was showed that psychological violence with the prevalence of 68.5% during the last year was the most violent occurrence against the nurses working in this center. Workplace violence variables were significantly associated with job of nurses (p<0.033), work experience of less than 5 years (p<0.027), work of service in emergency ward (p<0.029), work shift of nurses in circulate shirt (p<0.001), violent male sex (p<0.036) and time of violence in discharge time (p<0.011). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the incidence of violence against nurses was relatively common and the most frequent was psychological abuse. Although it is not easy to accurately calculate violence against medical staff, it is important to carefully examine the same.