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Brief Oral Papers

Quality, Safety, Research

Brief Oral Papers Session 05 - Quality and Safety

Violence is Part of the Job: Investigating the impacts of Workplace Violence on Emergency Department Staff through Qualitative Interviews

Friday, November 8, 2024
11:05 AM – 12:20 PM EST
Location: Flagler
Abstract: Background/Significance:

Workplace violence (WPV) in healthcare is a growing challenge posing significant risks to patient care and healthcare provider (HCP) well-being and burnout. Since the beginning of the pandemic, healthcare institutions globally have experienced an increase in WPV, particularly in emergency departments (EDs). At the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, Canada, WPV incidents in EDs increased by 169% from 0.43 to 1.15 events per 1000 visits (p < .0001) (Schulz-Quach et al., 2024). A qualitative study was implemented that explored HCPs perspectives on WPV within UHN EDs.



Methods:

A qualitative study was conducted in the UHN ED using a semi-structured interview guide that explored ED staff’s sense of safety, support, and perspectives on UHN security and WPV initiatives. ED staff were selected using a convenience sampling strategy. All interviews were performed in person and were held during day and night shifts to capture different perspectives. All interviewees provided their informed consent to participate before the interview. The recordings were recorded, then transcribed and anonymized using an auto-transcription software and reviewed for accuracy. Afterwards, a qualitative data analysis software was utilized to perform a thematic analysis according to Kiger and Varpio (2020).

Results:

52 interviews with ED HCPs and patient-facing staff were performed. This included a diverse array of professions (n=9) that work either day shift (n=37) or night shift (n=15) from UHN EDs. While the thematic analysis is ongoing, preliminary themes include unmet needs among ED HCPs and patient-facing staff, a sense of isolation within the ED, and a perception that WPV is part of the job. A complete analysis will be presented at the meeting.

Discussion:



The findings shed light on the complex dynamics of WPV in the ED setting from the perspective of frontline workers and underscore the urgent need for comprehensive organizational initiatives. Staff expressed feelings of vulnerability and lack of safety align with previous literature (Reißmann et al., 2023, Hassankhani et al., 2018).

Conclusion/Implications:


This research contributes to understanding WPV in healthcare and provides insights for targeted interventions to create a safer and more supportive work environment for ED staff. Additional rounds of interviews will be performed following the implementation of interventions to qualitatively measure their impacts.