Evaluation of the opinions and attitudes of the patients and their relatives who applied to the Ankara Atatürk Training and Research Hospital on the issue of violence towards healthcare workers and the factors affecting them

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the opinions and attitudes of the patients and their relatives aged 18 years and older who applied to the Ankara Atatürk Training and Research Hospital on the issue of violence towards healthcare workers and the factors affecting them. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out between 01 December 2016 - 01 February 2017 at Ankara Atatürk Training and Research Hospital. Patients and their relatives aged 18 years and older, applied to the hospital between these dates, were included in the study. A questionnaire consisting of 43 questions was conducted to the volunteers who were not health professionals via face to face interview. Analysis of the data was done with the SPSS 21.0 program. RESULTS: The number of respondents in the study was 300. The number of respondents who witnessed violence against healthcare workers was 78(%26); and the number of respondents who engaged in violence towards healthcare workers was 37(%11). Among the both types of violence, both witnessed and practiced, the most common one was verbal violence. Among occupational groups, doctors (%48,6) and nurses (%40,5) were most frequently exposed to violence; state hospitals were the most frequent violent health institutions (%67,6). According to the respondents, the reasons for the increase in the violence against the healthcare workers are as follows: the health institutions are very crowded (%73), the patients and their relatives are impatient (%65) and lack of education of perpetrators (%54,3). The first three responses to the question of how violence against healthcare workers can be prevented were: the sentenced should be deterred (%56,3), security measures should be increased in health institutions (%53,7) and public education (%52,7). %57,3 of respondents thought that healthcare workers deserve violence in some cases; %6,3 of them think that 'there could be elements he/she deserved' when they heard a news about a doctor was being killed by violence. CONCLUSION: More than half of the respondents in the study thought that in some cases healthcare workers deserved violence. Although this study was planned as a one-centered study, it presents valuable data on violence against healthcare workers. Especially the evaluation of the thoughts about violence is important in terms of showing the trend of violence. Detailed studies should be done on the causes of violence and especially it should be focused on qualitative studies. Keywords: Violence, Healthcare Worker, Patient, Patient's Relative