Violence study of healthcare workers and systems in the Caribbean: ViSHWaS-Caribbean study.

Background: Violence against healthcare workers (HCWs) in the Caribbean continues to prevail yet remains underreported. Our aim is to determine the cause, traits, and consequences of violence on HCWs in the Caribbean.
Aim: To determine the cause, traits, and consequences of violence on HCWs in the Caribbean.
Methods: This research adopted an online cross-sectional survey approach, spanning over eight weeks (between June 6 ^th and August 9 ^th , 2022). The survey was generated using Research Electronic Data Capture forms and followed a snowballing strategy to contact individuals using emails, social media, text messages, etc. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the variables that influence violence, including gender, age, years of experience, institution type, and night shift frequency.
Results: The survey was completed by 225 HCWs. Females comprised 61%. Over 51% of respondents belonged to the 21 to 35 age group. Dominica ( n = 61), Haiti ( n = 50), and Grenada ( n = 31) had the most responses. Most HCWs (49%) worked for government academic institutions, followed by community hospitals (23%). Medical students (32%), followed by attending physicians (22%), and others (16%) comprised the most common cadre of respondents. About 39% of the participants reported experiencing violence themselves, and 18% reported violence against colleague(s). Verbal violence (48%), emotional abuse (24%), and physical misconduct (14%) were the most common types of violence. Nearly 63% of respondents identified patients or their relatives as the most frequent aggressors. Univariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that female gender (OR = 2.08; 95%CI: 1.16-3.76, P = 0.014) and higher frequency of night shifts (OR = 2.22; 95%CI: 1.08-4.58, P = 0.030) were associated with significantly higher odds of experiencing violence. More than 50% of HCWs felt less motivated and had decreased job satisfaction post-violent conduct.
Conclusion: A large proportion of HCWS in the Caribbean are exposed to violence, yet the phenomenon remains underreported. As a result, HCWs' job satisfaction has diminished.
Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The manuscript of the global study has been submitted in different sections and accepted as abstracts for presentation at different conferences. These include the annual meeting of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM 2023) in January 2023 in San Francisco, United States (which also garnered media attention); the third Abu Dhabi Integrated Mental Health Conference in January 2023 in Abu Dhabi, UAE; and the American Thoracic Society International conference in May 2023 in Washington, DC; the CHEST annual conference in October 2023. The manuscript of the main paper abstract and the LATAM sub-analysis have been submitted and published in its initial version on the Lancet SSRN preprint program and the Kenya sub-analysis has been submitted and published in its initial version on the Research Square preprint program.
(©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)