Violence Against Healthcare Workers in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review
Keywords:
Violence, Interventional Studies, Saudi Arabia, Workplace Safety, Training Programs, Policy ReformsAbstract
Introduction:
In Saudi Arabia, the prevalence of violence against HCWs has emerged as a matter of concern, with various reports indicating varying degrees of incidence but mainly verbal violence. This systematic review aimed to comprehensively assess the prevalence and determinants of violence against healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia.
Methods:
This systematic review meticulously designed a methodological approach to identify, evaluate, and synthesize all relevant interventional studies on violence against healthcare workers (HCWs) in Saudi Arabia over the last 20 years. Through a comprehensive search strategy employing a combination of keywords and database searches, the review focused on primary research articles that reported on intervention outcomes aimed at preventing or managing violence within healthcare settings. The review process included rigorous screening, quality assessment, and synthesis of findings to identify effective interventions and determinants of violence, aiming to inform policy, practice, and future research in this critical area.
Results:
This systematic review analyzed 11 interventional studies, including randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and before-and-after studies, aimed at reducing violence against healthcare workers (HCWs) in Saudi Arabia, with sample sizes ranging from 125 to over 1,000 participants. Specifically, the effectiveness of interventions was notable, with one study reporting a risk ratio of experiencing violence decreasing to 0.5, another showing a 42% reduction in physical violence incidents, and environmental modifications leading to a 31% decrease in reported verbal aggression incidents, demonstrating the potential of these interventions in mitigating workplace violence.
Conclusions:
This systematic review highlighted the effectiveness of training programs, environmental modifications, and policy reforms in reducing violence against healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia. Training programs, in particular, demonstrated a significant reduction in the risk of experiencing violence. Environmental modifications and policy interventions also showed promising results, though to a lesser extent.
