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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2017, 19, N5 (pages: 23 - 28)

Violence against Working Personnel in Slovenian Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Centre Network

Gabrovec B., Jelenc M., Prislan K., and Lobnikar B.

Summary: Introduction: Healthcare workers are frequently a target of patients' violent behaviour. Increased workplace violence towards health care professionals has been reported by several studies. The purpose of the present study has been to identify the prevalence of violence towards employees in the Slovenian drug addiction rehabilitation centre network. Methods: For the purpose of this study, a non-experimental sampling method was employed, using a structured questionnaire answered by rehabilitation centre employees (n = 54). Data were analysed by means of descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and linear regression, with a significance threshold of p < 0.05. Results: Employees in the Slovenian drug addiction rehabilitation centre network are subject to a high risk of violence. In the last 12 months employees were most often faced with verbal abuse (83.3%), while one in 5 became the target of physical violence (22.2%), which indicates that work-related risks are not being properly managed. Conclusion: This study could serve as a basis for a comprehensive approach to managing violence within the drug addiction rehabilitation centre network, while it also provides clear pointers to guidelines for the design of further research. Some Slovenian psychiatric health care facilities have already introduced certain measures in this field, leading to reductions in workplace violence that demonstrate that the incidence of aggressive outbursts by patients can be reduced.