Experience of workplace violence among clinical faculty members of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences: A qualitative study

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Workplace violence is considered an important and common issue in organizations related to the provision of health services. The aim of this study was to explain the experiences of violence toward clinical faculty members.MATERIALS AND METHODS:In this study, inductive content analysis was conducted with nine clinical faculty members (six specialists and three subspecialists) of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences with at least 6 months of experience working in clinical settings. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, coded, categorized, and analyzed. In order to strengthen the study, the Guba and Lincoln criteria were used.RESULTS:Data analysis showed that there were four main themes (Causes of violence, Experience of violence, Consequences of Violence, Controlling violence), five subthemes (Society, System, Cause of violence, Type of violence, Complications of Violence, Ways to prevent and deal with violence), and 19 subcategories, which were extracted from 4100 codes after in-depth analysis.CONCLUSION:Among the most important factors are the importance of the role of the social environment, the service delivery system, and ethics. The social environment can be categorized into factors such as economic and social conditions, advertising and the spread of false beliefs through the media, patients, and their companions. The ethical principles of doctors, patients, and companions can also be categorized as factors related to violence. It is suggested that a training program be developed and implemented to empower staff in healthcare settings.