Khanagar Sanjeev B, Aldawas Ibrahim, Almutairi Abdullah, Alamro Mohammed, Altammami Naif, Aldakhil Sultan, Hodan Suliman
Preventive Dental Science Department, College of Dentistry, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia.
King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia.
Healthcare (Basel). 2022 Nov 9;10(11):2239. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10112239.
Patient aggression and violence comprise a wide range of behaviors and actions that may include verbal aggression and physical aggression. The aim of this study is to report dental students' experience with, impact from, and response to patient aggression in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among dental students from various health universities representing each region of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a self-administered, structured and validated questionnaire. A total of 375 participants responded to the questionnaire and 121 (32.3%) study participants reported experiencing patient aggression. Out of those, 91 (75.21%) experienced patients displaying anger or raising their voice toward them, 37 (30.58%) reported being insulted by a patient, 22 (18.18%) reported being threatened, 12 (6.2%) had experienced sexual harassment, and 65 (50.41%) had experienced verbal harassment. Furthermore, 91 (75.21%) participants reported being abandoned by patients because they were students. A total of 55 (45.45%) participants stated that aggressive patient behavior had an impact on their clinical performance, and 44 (36.36%) considered themselves stressed out. A total of 24 (19.83%) participants took time off due to incidents and 22 (18.18%) thought about quitting dentistry. Prevalence of patient aggression was significant among dental students in Saudi Arabia. These episodes of patient aggression negatively impacted students' academic performance and wellbeing, necessitating urgent attention. Educational institutions should conduct periodic workshops for students in order to address these issues. Policymakers should develop better policies in order to reduce violence and aggression against health care providers.
患者的攻击行为和暴力行为涵盖了广泛的行为和行动，可能包括言语攻击和身体攻击。本研究的目的是报告沙特阿拉伯牙科学生在面对患者攻击时的经历、受到的影响以及做出的反应。对来自沙特阿拉伯各地区不同健康大学的牙科学生进行了一项横断面分析研究。使用自行填写的、结构化且经过验证的问卷收集数据。共有375名参与者回复了问卷，121名（32.3%）研究参与者报告曾遭遇患者的攻击行为。其中，91名（75.21%）经历过患者对他们发怒或提高音量，37名（30.58%）报告被患者辱骂，22名（18.18%）报告受到威胁，12名（6.2%）经历过性骚扰，65名（50.41%）经历过言语骚扰。此外，91名（75.21%）参与者报告因自己是学生而被患者抛弃。共有55名（45.45%）参与者表示患者的攻击行为对他们的临床操作产生了影响，44名（36.36%）认为自己压力很大。共有24名（19.83%）参与者因这些事件请假，22名（18.18%）考虑过放弃牙科专业。在沙特阿拉伯的牙科学生中，患者攻击行为的发生率很高。这些患者攻击事件对学生的学业成绩和幸福感产生了负面影响，需要引起紧急关注。教育机构应为学生定期举办研讨会以解决这些问题。政策制定者应制定更好的政策以减少针对医护人员的暴力和攻击行为。
