Violence Against Medical Assistants by Colleagues at Educational Hospitals and Its Effects on the Quality of Education

Violence against medical assistants (residents) by colleagues is a serious problem at educational hospitals that has not been sufficiently examined. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence, risk factors, and types of violence perpetrated by colleagues against medical assistants.

In a cross-sectional study conducted at two large tertiary referral educational hospitals, the study questionnaires were distributed among 480 healthcare professionals to investigate their experiences of violence.

Of 280 responders, 162 residents (57.9%) reported a history of violence or aggression. Of these, nearly 50% had experienced pure psychological violence, and 16.7% had been physically abused. The prevalence of victimization was high among the residents of the neurosurgery, orthopedic, and obstetric departments (90%, 88%, and 85%, respectively).

Harassment experience was more common among the surgical residents than the internal medicine residents because of the former’s high level of work stress. Senior residents or fellowship residents were the main abusers. Losing professional self-esteem, decreasing job satisfaction, and dropping out of school were the main adverse outcomes of violence experienced by the victims.