Aggression, Micro-aggression, and Abuse Against Health Care Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic. A Latin American Survey

• Published in: Current problems in cardiology Vol. 47; no. 10; p. 101296
• Main Authors: García-Zamora, Sebastián, Pulido, Laura, Miranda-Arboleda, Andrés Felipe, García, Darío Eduardo, Pérez, Gonzalo, Priotti, Mauricio, Chango, Diego X, Antoniolli, Melisa, Zaidel, Ezequiel José, Lopez-Santi, Ricardo, Vazquez, Gustavo, Nuñez-Mendez, Rodrigo, Cabral, Luz Teresa, Sosa-Liprandi, Álvaro, Liblik, Kiera, Baranchuk, Adrian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Mosby-Year Book 01.10.2022
• Subjects: Aggression; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Health Personnel; Humans; Latin America; Male; Pandemics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Latin America
• ISSN: 0146-2806; 1535-6280
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2022.101296

The COVID-19 pandemic has had tremendous consequences globally. Notably, increasing complaints of verbal and physical violence against health care providers have been reported. A cross-sectional electronic survey was conducted between January 11 and February 28, 2022 to delineate the violent behavior against front-line health professionals in Latin America. A total of 3544 participants from 19 countries were included. There were 58.5% women, 70.8% were physicians, 16% were nurses, and 13.2% were other health team members. About 54.8% reported acts of abuse: 95.6% verbal abuse, 11.1% physical abuse, and 19.9% other types. Nearly half of those who reported abuse experienced psychosomatic symptoms after the event, 56.2% considered changing their care tasks, and 33.6% considered quitting their profession. In a logistic regression model, nurses (odds ratio (OR) 1.90, P < 0.001), doctors (OR 2.11, P < 0.001), and administrative staff (OR 3.53, P = 0.005) experienced more abuse than other health workers. Women more frequently reported abuse (OR 1.56, P < 0.001), as well as those who worked directly with COVID-19 patients (OR 3.66, P < 0.001). A lower probability of abuse was observed at older ages (OR 0.95, P < 0.001). There has been a high prevalence of abuse against health personnel in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those caring for COVID-19 patients, younger staff, and women were found to be at elevated risk. It is imperative to develop strategies to mitigate these acts and their repercussions on the patient-provider relationship and outcomes.