Violence in Al-Zahra Hospital from the Viewpoint of Administrative Support Staff: A Qualitative Study

Violence is associated with individuals’ health and occupational safety and for many jobs, workplace violence represents a serious occupational hazard. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the reasons for violence from the viewpoint of hospital administrative support staff and to determine the steps necessary to eliminate or reduce this problem. In this qualitative study, we employed semi-structured interviews and opinions of 10 authorities and administrative support staff of Al-Zahra University Hospital on violence and its risk factors. After transcribing the contents of the interviews, the data were reduced and structured using thematic analysis. Subjects’ views on causes of violence in hospitals were classified into 40 sub-themes and 7 themes including: economic, social and structural factors, hospital problems, problems related to patients and their companions, difficulties arising from individual interactions and problems with staff. Considering the high prevalence of violence in hospitals and its adverse effects on the societies, organizations and individuals, necessary measures must be taken to diminish the occurrence of this problem, some of which include: increasing insurance coverage, changing physical structure of hospitals to increase security, limiting the entrance of individuals, making administrative processes more transparent, culture-making about terms of visiting and patient companionship, holding workshops on violence and proper relationship with patients and families and using experienced staff to interact with clients.