AHPGS(Accreditation Agency in Health and Social Sciences)
29 April 2025 Tuesday
April 28th is No Violence Against Healthcare Workers Day
Research Assistant Esra ÖZER from Istanbul Gelişim University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, shared important insights about No Violence Against Healthcare Workers Day
Violence in health care organizations includes actions such as threats, insults, economic pressure, physical or sexual assault by patients, relatives or third parties against health care workers. This phenomenon has become a serious problem affecting healthcare workers not only in Turkey but also worldwide. According to studies, between 8% and 38% of healthcare workers are exposed to physical violence, and it is stated that working in healthcare organizations carries a 16 times higher risk of violence compared to other sectors. In a multicenter study conducted in Turkey, approximately 87% of healthcare workers stated that they had experienced violence at least once in their professional lives. The most common form of violence is verbal assault, which has negative effects on employees' mental health and work motivation.
Incidents of violence threaten not only physicians but all health workers. In particular, situations such as not providing the services that patients and their relatives expect on time or delays due to overcrowding can turn into aggressive behaviors. In a study conducted in Finland, it was found that healthcare workers, especially psychiatric nurses and doctors, are the most exposed to violence after prison officers and police officers. In addition, structural problems such as insufficient personnel, communication problems, lack of training and inadequate security measures are among the main factors that fuel violence in healthcare settings. Violence is a multidimensional problem that affects health workers not only physically but also emotionally and psychologically.
Various legal and administrative steps are taken to prevent violence in health. The “Code White” system introduced by the Ministry of Health in Turkey aims to increase security by providing rapid notification and intervention in cases of violence. However, according to experts, the effectiveness of such practices can be possible not only with the existence of the system, but also with the psychological support offered to employees, reporting of incidents and preventive strategies to prevent recurrence. Studies have shown that 78% of pediatric nurses and the majority of medical students associate violence in health with lack of public education, lack of empathy, communication breakdowns and excessive patient expectations. All these data show that violence in health should be addressed not only in individual but also in systemic and social aspects.
