Abstract

Background: Workplace violence represents a significant global health issue, and nurses, who are the backbone of healthcare provision, are particularly susceptible to this issue. Despite this, there is a lack of evidence regarding the extent of workplace violence against nurses in Ethiopia.

Objective: Examining workplace violence and its associated factors among nurses in public hospitals Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2023.

Method: A facility-based cross-sectional study was undertaken involving 392 nurses employed in public hospitals across Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Nurses were selected through a simple random sampling technique conducted within their respective workplace health facilities. Data were gathered using a pretested self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive, binary, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted, and significant associations were determined using the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% Confidence interval (CI).

Results: Among the 381 nurses who participated in the study, more than two-thirds (67.5%) reported encountering at least one form of workplace violence (WPV) in the preceding six months, with verbal abuse being the most prevalent (82.5%). Statistical analysis identified significant correlations between workplace violence and several factors: male gender (AOR=0.56, 95% CI [0.34, 0.95]), marital status (AOR=3.17, 95% CI [1.87, 5.37]), direct physical contact (AOR=5.20, 95% CI [1.43, 18.88]), and training (AOR=0.13, 95% CI [0.07, 0.23]).

Conclusion: The prevalence of workplace violence among nurses was notably high, with significant associations observed with the workers' gender, involvement in direct physical contact with patients, and completion of training. Urgent intervention is necessary to ensure a safer workplace environment. Moreover, the implementation of trainings and a formal incident reporting procedure could prove beneficial for prevention efforts.