title: Prevalence of workplace violence in Northwest Ethiopia: a multivariate analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Workplace violence has been acknowledged as a global problem, particularly in the health sector. However, there is scarce data on workplace violence among nurses in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of workplace violence and associated factors among nurses in northwest Ethiopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospital based cross-sectional study design was employed in 386 nurses from April 1 - April 30, 2015. Data were collected through the use of self-administered questionnaire developed by the International Labor Office/International Council of Nurses/World Health Organization and Public Services International. To keep the quality of the data collection training was given to supervisors and data collectors. Piloting was done in Debark hospital two weeks before actual data collection to assess the tool's clarity and make amendments. The proposal was approved by the Institutional Review Board of University of Gondar prior to study commencement and a written consent was obtained from each study participant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence of workplace violence was 26.7 %. Exploratory logistic regression analyses suggested that age, number of staff in the same work shift, working in a male ward, history of workplace violence, and marital status were factors independently associated with workplace violence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of workplace violence among nurses was high. Creating a prevention strategy involving different stakeholders is recommended.
authors.affiliation: University of Gondar, College of Medicine and Health Science, School of Nursing, P.O. Box: 196, Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Bewket Tadesse
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Tiruneh
authors.affiliation: University of Gondar, College of Medicine and Health Science, School of Nursing, P.O. Box: 196, Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Berhanu Boru
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Bifftu
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, 11706 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Akililu Azazh
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Tumebo
authors.affiliation: University of Gondar, College of Medicine and Health Science, School of Nursing, P.O. Box: 196, Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Mengistu Mekonnen
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kelkay
authors.affiliation: University of Gondar, College of Medicine and Health Science, School of Nursing, P.O. Box: 196, Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Degefaye Zelalem
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Anlay
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, P.O. Box: 196, Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Berihun Assefa
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Dachew
keywords: Factors; Hospital; Nurse; Prevalence; Workplace violence