WORKPLACE VIOLENCE AND RELATED FACTORS IN OPERATING ROOMS IN IRAN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background & Aims: According to the International Labor Organization, the prevalence of workplace violence has increased in the last decade and of the entire professional groups, health care personnel are the most likely victims of workplace violence but the documentary information on workplace violence in the operating room is very limited. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of determining the frequency of workplace violence and related factors among the health care personnel in operating rooms. Materials & Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The research sample consisted of 223 health care personnel working in the operating rooms in the educational-medical centers of Isfahan in Iran. The sampling method was proportional allocation of quota and category. Data were collected from March to July 2018 using the WHO standard questionnaire “surveillance of workplace violence in the health sector” whose validity and reliability have been confirmed in previous studies. Results: The percentage of verbal violence was 91.9 and physical violence and ethnic violence were in turn 26 and 19.3 during the past 12 months. The most common cause of workplace violence (87persent), was working in a stressful environment and the perpetrators of workplace violence are often among health care personnel. The average age and work experience of personnel exposed to verbal violence were significantly lower than the others (P=0.01and P=0.02, respectively). Frequency of physical (P=0.03) and verbal (P=0.004) violence in centers with specific protocols for reporting violence were significantly lower than other centers. Conclusion: Experience of workplace violence among the health care personnel in the operating rooms is considerable. The perpetrators of workplace violence are often among health care personnel instead of patients and their families. This study recommends the existence of documentary protocols for reporting workplace violence in all operating rooms.