More women than men experience non-physical violence in health care workers

Women in healthcare are more likely to experience verbal abuse, sexual harassment and bullying, while men are more likely to experience physical violence, according to a study published online July 2. PLOS Global Public Health.

Siobhan Nelson, RN, PhD, from the University of Toronto, and colleagues conducted a scoping review and report on the prevalence and risk factors for gender-based violence in the workplace (GB-WPV) in health care settings. The analysis included data from 226 studies.

The researchers found that across studies, more women than men experienced non-physical violence, such as verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and bullying. Compared to women, men experienced more physical violence. Gender-sensitive characteristics include younger age, less experience, job changes, certain clinical settings, lower professional status, organizational hierarchy, and minority status, which reflect structural disadvantages for women in the workplace.

“The impacts of GB-WPV ripple through the health system, leading to significant attrition of health workers, poorer patient care, and an overburdened health infrastructure that struggles to meet societal needs,” the authors write. “We recognize that focusing on a single analytical category, such as gender, ignores the complex influence that other social categories have on the experience of WPV.”

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