Characterizing traumatic events among health care workers

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the background of traumatic events and possible preventive measures among health care workers. We analyzed data from 84 compensated health care workers who experienced traumatic events between 2010 and 2017. We found that about half of the workers had encountered violence, and nearly half were alone at the time of the violence event. In addition, the victims were not helped by colleagues at the time of the violence event because their colleagues could not help them quickly enough. The assailants most likely experienced symptoms from dementia or mental illness, which contributed to the traumatic events. However, in the majority of cases, any underlying disease or symptoms the assailants who caused the traumatic events might have experienced had not been recognized. In addition, the particular complaints of the assailants, such as “I want to go home,” might have been background factors that contributed to the events. In order to create a safe workplace where health care workers can provide high quality care, it is necessary to enhance the mental health care system and train health care workers in and increase their knowledge about preventing violence. Moreover, it is also critical to establish a system that encourages the application of this knowledge in the workplace.