Table 3.

Characteristics of Workplace Violence Reported by Physicians and Nurses^*

Characteristics	Physical Violence n (%) (n = 44)	Verbal Abuse n (%) (n = 193)
Weapon involved
Yes	13 (29.6)	N/A
No	31 (70.4)	N/A
How often verbally abused in last 12 months
All the time	N/A	26 (13.5)
Sometimes	N/A	130 (67.4)
Once	N/A	37 (19.1)
Is this a typical incident?
Yes	31 (70.4)	155 (80.3)
No	13 (29.6)	38 (19.7)
Identity of attacker in the incident
Patient	9 (20.4)	31 (16.1)
Relatives of patient	28 (63.6)	135 (69.9)
Staff member	3 (6.8)	14 (7.3)
Management/Supervisor	2 (4.6)	6 (3.1)
General public	2 (4.6)	7 (3.6)
Time of incident
0700 to 1300	7 (15.9)	N/A
1301 to 1800	12 (27.2)	N/A
1801 to 2400	5 (11.4)	N/A
2400 to 0700	15 (34.1)	N/A
Do not remember	5 (11.4)	N/A
Could the incident have been prevented
Yes	38 (86.4)	140 (72.5)
No	6 (13.6)	53 (27.5)
Any action taken to investigate the causes of the incident
Yes	14 (31.8)	42 (21.8)
No	21 (47.7)	103 (53.3)
Do not know	9 (20.5)	48 (24.9)
Consequences for the attacker/abuser in the incident
None	28 (63.6)	120 (62.2)
Verbal warning issued	7 (15.9)	13 (6.7)
Care of patient discontinued	2 (4.6)	2 (1.0)
Reported to police	2 (4.6)	2 (1.0)
Aggressor prosecuted	0 (0)	4 (2.1)
Others	2 (4.5)	4 (2.1)
Do not know	3 (6.8)	48 (24.9)

N/A = not applicable or not asked.

^*All questions pertain to the last recalled incident of physical violence or verbal abuse.