Violence against healthcare workers: comparison of Türkiye and Germany

Abstract

Context and Aim: Violence against healthcare workers has been defined as a situation that consists of physical/sexual/economic violence, verbal threat and/or behaviour caused by the patient, relatives of patient or any other individual. This study aims to raise awareness on why and how often violence against healthcare workers and what legal actions can be taken, by comparing Türkiye and Germany.

Methodology: The study is based on literature research and review. The literature review was conducted in “Google” and “Google Scholar” between March 2023 and April 2023 using the words “violence against health workers” and “violence in health”.

Findings: The violence against healthcare workers is not only specific to Türkiye but also a worldwide problem. According to the Research on Violence in Health for the year 2022, 82.3% of health workers who participated in the research stated that they were worried about experiencing violence in the workplace while 67.3% of 2124 healthcare professionals experienced some type of violence at least once in their professional life and 71.8% of them witnessed workplace violence. The research also showed that 1 out of every 4 healthcare professionals was exposed to physical violence and physicians/dentists and nurses were exposed to more violence than other occupational groups. It was concluded that women were at more risk of verbal violence and men at more risk of physical violence.

Conclusion: Violence is one of the most significant problems experienced by healthcare workers. Thus, it is necessary to increase security measures in hospitals, train the staff on the methos to calm down patients’ relatives, especially in the emergency services. Effective prevention of violence against healthcare workers is among the duties of the government. The healthcare workers who are faced to physical, verbal, or sexual violence may take legal actions such as file a criminal and/or compensation lawsuit.