title: Occupational injury among hospital patient-care workers: what is the association with workplace verbal abuse?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the association between workplace abuse exposure and injury risk among hospital workers. We hypothesized that exposed workers would have higher injury rates than unexposed workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survey of direct-care workers (n = 1,497) in two hospitals. Exposure to workplace abuse was assessed through self-report; occupational injury reports were extracted from employee records. We tested associations between non-physical workplace violence and injury using log-binomial regression and multilevel modeling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) for injury associated with being yelled at was 1.52 (95% CI 1.19, 1.95); for experiencing hostile/offensive gestures 1.43 (1.11, 1.82); and for being sworn at 1.41 (1.09, 1.81). In analyses by injury subtypes, musculoskeletal injuries were more strongly associated with abuse than were acute traumatic injuries. Associations operated on group and individual levels and were most consistently associated with abuse perpetrated by patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exposure to workplace abuse may be a risk factor for injuries among hospital workers.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Erika L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Sabbath
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hurtado
authors.forename: Cassandra A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Okechukwu
authors.forename: Sara L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Tamers
authors.forename: Candace
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Seung-Sup
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Glorian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sorenson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019567:Back Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D003288:Contusions / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D017770:Lifting / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D012308:Risk Management; D012919:Social Behavior; D013180:Sprains and Strains / Q000453:epidemiology; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: non-physical violence; occupational injury; workplace abuse; workplace harassment; workplace violence