Emergency staff is in danger

Objective

To investigate the ratio and characteristics of aggression, threat and physical violence directed towards staff in emergency departments as a model of state hospitals.

Methods

A questionnaire were filled in by the staff working in the emergency department of three high-volume inner-city state hospitals. The individualized data collected were relevant to the pattern of violence, age, sex, number of years in the profession, nature of the job, and the behavioral characteristics of assailants, and outcome of incidents. The data were abstracted between 1 May and 31 May 2006.

Results

A total of 109 staff reports were reviewed. The relationship of aggression with sex, age and years of experience were insignificant (P values were 0.464, 0.692, and 0.298, respectively), while profession was very significantly related (P = 0.000). The relation between threat and sex is P = 0.311, experience 0.994, profession 0.326, age 0.278. The relationship of threat with sex, years of experience, profession and age were insignificant (P values were 0.311, 0.994, 0.326, and 0.278, respectively). On the other hand, physical assault was found significantly related to sex, years of experience, profession and age (P values were 0.042, 0.011, 0.000, and 0.000, respectively).

Conclusion

Violence to the staff is common. There is not a significant relationship between aggression, threat and personal characters. However, male sex, >5 years experience, emergency doctor, ≥31 years of age are the risk factors for physical violence.