Patient assaults on professionals? Type II workplace violence: A known phenomenon in Barcelona nursing homes

BACKGROUND: Workplace violence is a real phenomenon at nursing homes. This article studied this phenomenon in Barcelona. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether type II workplace violence takes place in senior citizen residences in Barcelona. METHODS: To conduct this exploratory, descriptive and transversal study, the ad hoc QViLab II Questionnaire (version 1) was administered to professionals at senior citizen residences in Barcelona. The sample system used was the randomly stratified conglomerate system, using the size of the residence as the stratum to ensure the representativeness of the sample. Sixty-seven professionals from residences in Barcelona participated in the study. RESULTS: The results show that 61.2% (IC 95%: 58-65%) of the professionals believed that they have been assaulted by the residents they cared for in the previous year. With regard to the participant variables, we noticed a significant relationship between stress and the belief of having been assaulted. The professionals stated that male residents assaulted them more than females and that verbal aggression was the most common form of aggression from both males and females, followed by physical aggression. With regard to frequency, verbal demands were the kind most often expressed on a daily basis. CONCLUSIONS: Professionals from nursing homes in Barcelona perceived workplace violence.