Workplace Stress
Conditions
Keywords
Intensive Care Unit, Workplace Violence
Brief summary
This study aims to investigate the perceptions, experiences, and responses of healthcare professionals working in intensive care units in Switzerland concerning patient violence.
Detailed description
Workplace violence, as defined by the International Labor Organization, includes any action, incident, or behavior that assaults, threatens, harms, or injures a person during their work. Healthcare workers face the highest risk of workplace violence among all professions. Violence can take many forms, including verbal abuse, physical offenses to sexual harassment. While most research focuses on psychiatric and emergency departments, workplace violence in intensive care units (ICUs) is understudied and often underreported. As a result, little is known about its prevalence and risk factors, leading to a lack of awareness and effective prevention strategies. This study examines the perceptions, experiences, and responses of healthcare professionals in Swiss ICUs. A questionnaire-based survey will assess various aspects, including personal background (such as education and professional role), the frequency and nature of past incidents of workplace violence, responses and measures taken, psychological or professional consequences, current prevention strategies, and suggestions for improving workplace safety. Since workplace violence is a common issue, the results of this study could help improve the work environment and safety in ICUs and other healthcare settings.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
Study design
Observational model
OTHER
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Consenting nurses and physicians currently working in Swiss intensive care units * Nurses and physicians consenting to participate will be included
Exclusion criteria
* Nurses and physicians who do not consent
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Demographic information (ICU Staff Questionnaire) | 2025 | Participants provide demographic details, including gender and age, using a questionnaire. |
| Completion date (ICU Staff Questionnaire) | 2025 | The date of questionnaire completion is recorded. |
| Professional background (ICU Staff Questionnaire) | 2025 | Assessment of professional role of the intensive care unit (ICU) staff, including their education and work experience, using a questionnaire. |
| Frequency of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire) | 2025 | Participants report the frequency of violent incidents encountered from patients or their relatives in the ICU setting, using a questionnaire. |
| Type of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire) | 2025 | Participants report the type of violent incidents (verbal, physical, and sexual) encountered from patients or their relatives in the ICU setting, using a questionnaire. |
| Characteristics of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire) | 2025 | Participants provide detailed information about specific violent incidents they have experienced in the ICU, including the context and perceived triggers, using a questionnaire. |
| Reporting of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire) | 2025 | Participants report whether the violent incident has been reported, using a questionnaire. |
| Personal impact of workplace violence (ICU Staff Questionnaire) | 2025 | Participants describe the personal impact of workplace violence, including psychological and mental health consequences, using a questionnaire. |
| Professional impact of workplace violence (ICU Staff Questionnaire) | 2025 | Participants report how workplace violence influences professional factors such as job satisfaction and workload, using a questionnaire. |
| Actions taken during or after violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire) | 2025 | Participants report the responses and measures taken during or after the violent incident, using a questionnaire. |
| Strategies for enhancing workplace safety in the ICU (ICU Staff Questionnaire) | 2025 | Participants provide information on strategies for enhancing workplace safety in the ICU, such as existing institutional policies, prior training in handling workplace violence, and their opinions on workplace violence prevention and recommendations for enhancing ICU safety, using a questionnaire. |
| Open-ended feedback from participant (ICU Staff Questionnaire) | 2025 | Participants have the opportunity to share additional comments or remarks related to workplace violence and safety in the ICU, using a questionnaire. This information is collected through a freetext field in the questionnaire. |
Countries
Switzerland
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORRaoul Sutter, Prof. Dr. med.
University Hospital Basel, Department of Acute Medicine, Intensive Care Unit
Outcome results
None listed