The Effect of Problems in Health Communication on Violence Against Physicians

Abstract

Although the number of workplace violence is increasing day by day, violence against healthcare workers has recently become an important problem. Not only has the number of violent incidents increased, but the severity of the impact has had profound traumatic effects on the victims. Violence against healthcare professionals by healthcare users is a multidimensional phenomenon and is a concern among those who ensure the safety of professionals. Determining the causes of violence against healthcare workers and taking the necessary precautions will eliminate the concerns. In this study, the health communication problem, which is one of the factors affecting violence against physicians, was discussed. The “Health Communication Problems Scale” developed by Yeşildal, Akman Dömbekçi and Öztürk (2021) was used to determine the health communication problems of the participants. Research data were obtained through an online survey. 408 people were included in the study. Among the participants, 2% of the participants who used violence against healthcare workers stated that they used verbal violence, 0.2% physical violence, and 4.4% psychological violence. As a result of the research, it was found that the inadequacy of effective communication skills of physicians increased the intention of health service users to apply verbal and psychological violence; on the other hand, it was observed that there was no statistically significant effect on the intention to use physical violence.