Health employees coping methods for dealing with violence: An example of a university hospital

Every day, thousands of healthcare workers are subjected to violence, a situation that harms both the employees and the patients. Violence in the healthcare sector encompasses physical, psychological, verbal, or sexual assaults against healthcare professionals. These incidents of violence lead to numerous negative consequences for employees, society, and organizations. To prevent such adverse outcomes, it is crucial to effectively utilize coping methods for dealing with violence, integrate these methods into organizational culture, and raise public awareness against violence. Institutionally, the first step in addressing violence in the healthcare sector is prevention. The second step involves providing support to employees during and after incidents of violence. This study examines the frequency of violence experienced by healthcare employees and their coping Methods at a university hospital in Ankara. Based on 282 survey responses, it was determined that female healthcare employees are subjected to violence more frequently than their male counterparts, and medical doctors experience more verbal and physical violence compared to other professional groups, while nurses are more exposed to verbal and sexual violence. Additionally, the study revealed that individual coping mechanisms were commonly employed during violent incidents, and institutional awareness was found to be insufficient. Even though some employees were aware of institutional processes, they did not believe eporting violent incidents would lead toubstantial outcomes. The findings also indicated that medical doctors tend to choose more passive coping Methods, while nurses and other healthcare staff (such as caregivers, medical secretaries, anesthesia technicians, radiology technicians, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and health officers) tend to seek social support.