Workplace Violence Against Nurses and Its Reduction Strategies in Iran

Workplace violence is one of the most important and complex challenges for the health system. Hospital staff, including nurses and doctors, has a high risk of exposure to workplace violence . Studies have shown that the prevalence rates of physical and verbal workplace violence against nurses in Iran are 28% and 74%, respectively; however, 48% of the cases of workplace violence are not reported by nurses . The prevalence of depression among nurses in Iran is estimated at 22%, which is higher than the rate in the general population . In other studies, the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among nurses in the emergency department was 94% .