Violence against health care workers in China, 2013–2016: evidence from the national judgment documents
Abstract Background Incidents of patient-initiated workplace violence against health care workers have been a subject of substantial public attention in China. Patient-initiated violence not only represents a risk of harm to health care providers but is also indicative of general tensions between do...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2019-12-01
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| Series: | Human Resources for Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-019-0440-y |
| _version_ | 1818387022131232768 |
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| author | Ruilie Cai Ji Tang Chenhui Deng Guofan Lv Xiaohe Xu Sean Sylvia Jay Pan |
| author_facet | Ruilie Cai Ji Tang Chenhui Deng Guofan Lv Xiaohe Xu Sean Sylvia Jay Pan |
| author_sort | Ruilie Cai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Incidents of patient-initiated workplace violence against health care workers have been a subject of substantial public attention in China. Patient-initiated violence not only represents a risk of harm to health care providers but is also indicative of general tensions between doctors and patients which pose a challenge to improving health system access and quality. This study aims to provide a systematic, national-level characterization of serious workplace violence against health care workers in China. Methods This study extracted data from the China Judgment Online System, a comprehensive database of judgment documents. Three key phrases, “criminal case,” “health care institution,” and “health care worker” were used to search the China Judgment Online System for relevant cases between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2016. Data extracted from identified cases was used to document the occurrence, the degree of risk, and the factors associated with serious workplace violence. Results In total, 459 criminal cases involving patient-initiated workplace violence against health care workers in China were reported and processed. The analysis revealed geographic heterogeneity in the occurrence of serious workplace violence, with lower incidence in western provinces compared to central and eastern provinces. Primary hospitals experienced the highest rates of serious workplace violence and emergency departments and doctors were at higher risk compared with other departments and health workers. Perpetrators were primarily male farmers aged 18 to 44 with low levels of education. The most frequently reported reasons of serious patient-initiated workplace violence included perceived medical malpractice by the perpetrator after the death of a patient, death of a patient with no other reason given, failures of the compensation negotiations after the death of a patient, and dissatisfaction with the treatment outcomes. Conclusions Serious workplace violence against providers varies across regions and types of health care institutions in China. Perception of low-quality care is the most reported reason for violence. Efforts should be made to improve quality of care in the low-level health institutions and strengthen the doctor-patient communication during the whole course of service. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:03:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f397af1b11a344999dfe434f9811e7a6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1478-4491 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:03:20Z |
| publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Human Resources for Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-f397af1b11a344999dfe434f9811e7a62022-12-21T23:17:54ZengBMCHuman Resources for Health1478-44912019-12-0117111410.1186/s12960-019-0440-yViolence against health care workers in China, 2013–2016: evidence from the national judgment documentsRuilie Cai0Ji Tang1Chenhui Deng2Guofan Lv3Xiaohe Xu4Sean Sylvia5Jay Pan6West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan UniversityWest China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan UniversityWest China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan UniversitySchool of Civil Aviation Security, Civil Aviation Flight University of ChinaSchool of Public Administration, Sichuan UniversityGillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillWest China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan UniversityAbstract Background Incidents of patient-initiated workplace violence against health care workers have been a subject of substantial public attention in China. Patient-initiated violence not only represents a risk of harm to health care providers but is also indicative of general tensions between doctors and patients which pose a challenge to improving health system access and quality. This study aims to provide a systematic, national-level characterization of serious workplace violence against health care workers in China. Methods This study extracted data from the China Judgment Online System, a comprehensive database of judgment documents. Three key phrases, “criminal case,” “health care institution,” and “health care worker” were used to search the China Judgment Online System for relevant cases between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2016. Data extracted from identified cases was used to document the occurrence, the degree of risk, and the factors associated with serious workplace violence. Results In total, 459 criminal cases involving patient-initiated workplace violence against health care workers in China were reported and processed. The analysis revealed geographic heterogeneity in the occurrence of serious workplace violence, with lower incidence in western provinces compared to central and eastern provinces. Primary hospitals experienced the highest rates of serious workplace violence and emergency departments and doctors were at higher risk compared with other departments and health workers. Perpetrators were primarily male farmers aged 18 to 44 with low levels of education. The most frequently reported reasons of serious patient-initiated workplace violence included perceived medical malpractice by the perpetrator after the death of a patient, death of a patient with no other reason given, failures of the compensation negotiations after the death of a patient, and dissatisfaction with the treatment outcomes. Conclusions Serious workplace violence against providers varies across regions and types of health care institutions in China. Perception of low-quality care is the most reported reason for violence. Efforts should be made to improve quality of care in the low-level health institutions and strengthen the doctor-patient communication during the whole course of service.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-019-0440-y |
| spellingShingle | Ruilie Cai Ji Tang Chenhui Deng Guofan Lv Xiaohe Xu Sean Sylvia Jay Pan Violence against health care workers in China, 2013–2016: evidence from the national judgment documents Human Resources for Health |
| title | Violence against health care workers in China, 2013–2016: evidence from the national judgment documents |
| title_full | Violence against health care workers in China, 2013–2016: evidence from the national judgment documents |
| title_fullStr | Violence against health care workers in China, 2013–2016: evidence from the national judgment documents |
| title_full_unstemmed | Violence against health care workers in China, 2013–2016: evidence from the national judgment documents |
| title_short | Violence against health care workers in China, 2013–2016: evidence from the national judgment documents |
| title_sort | violence against health care workers in china 2013 2016 evidence from the national judgment documents |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-019-0440-y |
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