title: Workplace violence against nurses in three different Greek healthcare settings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Healthcare workers are at high risk of facing workplace violence and nurses represent the most affected group.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to assess workplace violence encountered by nurses working in three different healthcare settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary hospital, a non-tertiary hospital and a primary care unit. The research tool was an anonymous self-report questionnaire concerning the prevalence, characteristics, consequences, causes and preventive measures of workplace violence. The statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 17.0.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty nurses participated in the study. The majority (76%) had experienced workplace violence. Men (OR, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.01-0.56) and more experienced nurses (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.70-0.97, for each additional year of working experience) were less affected in the last year. Verbal violence was the dominant type (98%). The vast majority (80%) reported a negative psychological impact, while 65% reported that they feel sometimes, rarely or never safe in their workplace. One of the main suggested causes of workplace violence was the long waiting time (99%), while the most common suggested measure of prevention was entrance control (93%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study revealed a high prevalence of workplace violence against nurses working in different healthcare facilities. Country and unit-specific studies may be beneficial for implementing appropriate interventions for reducing work place violence.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, University General Hospital of Patras, Rio, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Eleftheria
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fafliora
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, University General Hospital of Patras, Rio, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Vasileios G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Bampalis
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, General Hospital of Patras, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zarlas
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, General Hospital of Patras, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sturaitis
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, General Hospital of Patras, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lianas
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, University General Hospital of Patras, Rio, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mantzouranis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003151:Community Health Centers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D015995:Prevalence; D012449:Safety; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D064450:Workplace Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Occupational health; consequences; physical abuse; verbal abuse