Aggressions towards Primary Health Care Workers in Madrid, Spain, 2011-2012

• Published in: Revista espanola de salud publica Vol. 90; p. e1
• Main Authors: Rincón-Del Toro, Teresa, Villanueva-Guerra, Adela, Rodríguez-Barrientos, Ricardo, Polentinos-Castro, Elena, Torijano-Castillo, Mª José, de Castro-Monteiro, Emilia, Escrivá de Romaní de Gregorio, Blanca, Barba Calderón, Margarita, de Frías Redondo, María Soledad, Alejo Brú, Nury, Blanco Morales, Concepción, Vázquez Pinilla, Margarita, Besora Altés, Cristina, Heras-Mosteiro, Julio, Infantes Rodríguez, Juan Ángel, Bustamante Fernández, Pilar, de Blas Salvador, Victorina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Spain 25.10.2016
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cross-Sectional Studies; Exposure to Violence - psychology; Exposure to Violence - statistics & numerical data; Female; Health Personnel; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Odds Ratio; Patient Satisfaction; Physical Abuse - psychology; Physical Abuse - statistics & numerical data; Primary Health Care; Registries; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Spain; Workplace Violence - psychology; Workplace Violence - statistics & numerical data; Attitude of Health Personnel; Logistic Regressions; Aggression; Health Personnel; Primary Health Care; Physical Abuse; Workplace Violence; Patient Satisfaction; Spain

The number of aggressions towards health care professionals has risen over the past few years. There are no previous studies in primary care covering an entire region and to all professional categories. The aim of this study was to characterize aggressions in Primary Care in the Community of Madrid. Multicenter cross-sectional study. Analysis of a Registration System that reports any type of aggression suffered by Primary Care workers, in the Community of Madrid. The study variables included sociodemographic characteristics of the aggressor and the victim, the type of aggression (verbal or physical abuse), its causes and consequences. We described median, intercuartilic range and frequencies. Logistic regression was performed calculating odds ratio and their 95% confidence intervals. 1,157 assaults were reported, 53.07% suffered by doctors. Physical assault occurred in 4.7% of the cases. The main reason was dissatisfaction with the care (36.1%). The non-medical staff showed less risk of being physically assaulted (OR: 0.38; CI95%: 0.17-0.86). The perpetrator profile was male (56.8%), aged between 31-40 (26.8%) years. Health care victim profile was female (84%), aged between 45-60 years. 10% of professionals reported some form of aggression, 5,9% of aggression were submitted to court. The risk of assault is higher in health personnel, particularly physicians. There were significant differences by gender and age, both in the profile of the aggressor and the victim.