Workplace violence in dermatology
Facts at your Fingertips
By Emily Margosian, Assistant Editor, September 1, 2024
Alongside a growing number of fields, health care workers are at a high risk of workplace violence. In 2018, over a third of health care workers reported an incident of workplace violence, with 13.5% reporting physical assault (doi: 10.1016/j.psym.2018.04.007). The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines workplace violence as “any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. Using this definition, a recent study evaluated emotional and workplace violence experienced by dermatologists in academic practice in the United States (doi: 10.1111/ijd.16122).
Half of dermatologists surveyed reported experiencing episodes of emotional violence, and 10% reported experiencing physical violence on the job. Examples of emotional violence included verbal abuse from colleagues, sexual harassment, threats, aggression, and racial slurs from patients. Patients were primary perpetrators of violence, and cited precipitating events included wait times or other institutional factors, frustration with disease state, desiring narcotics, sexism, and racism. The study’s authors note that characterizing violence faced by physicians can help aid policy makers in developing prevention and reporting strategies to address violence against health care workers.
For a more complete analysis of workplace violence in dermatology, see the graphic below.
