Evaluation of Violence Against Emergency Physicians in Turkey

Aim: Violence against healthcare workers is most commonly experienced in emergency rooms. The present study aimed to assess the extent of increasing violence toward emergency physicians in Turkey and to define their opinions about reasons of violence. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in 2013 in Ankara, Turkey. Emergency physicians attended a questionnaire that included 25 multiple-choice questions. Emergency physicians working in training and research, university, and state hospitals were included in the study. Results: A total of 502 emergency physicians were included in the study. Overall, 338 (67.3%) participants were male. The number of participants who stated that they witnessed violence against physicians or other healthcare workers at least once during their career was 494 (98.4%). In total, 414 (82.5%) participants stated that they faced violence at least once. Exposure to violence negatively affected the social life of 251 (60.6%) participants and resulted in decreased job satisfaction or interest toward their profession in 227 (54.8%) participants. The number of participants who believed that healthcare policies affected the increase of violence against healthcare workers was 490 (97.0%). Conclusion: Our results indicate that violence against emergency physicians has reached very high levels and affects job satisfaction of physicians working under such circumstances.