@article{ref1,
title="Workplace violence among prehospital care providers in India: a cross-sectional study",
journal="BMJ open",
year="2019",
author="Lindquist, Benjamin and Koval, Kathryn and Mahadevan, Aditya and Gennosa, Christine and Leggio, William and Niknam, Kian and Rao, G. V. Ramana and Newberry, Jennifer A. and Strehlow, Matthew",
volume="9",
number="11",
pages="e033404-e033404",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) establish the prevalence of safety threats and workplace violence (WPV) experienced by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) in a low/middle-income country with a new prehospital care system, India and (2) understand which EMTs are at particularly high risk for these experiences. SETTING: EMTs from four Indian states (Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana) were eligible to participate during the study period from July through November 2017. <br><br>METHODS: Cross-sectional survey study. PARTICIPANTS: 386 practicing EMTs from four Indian states. <br><br>RESULTS: The overall prevalence of any WPV was 67.9% (95% CI 63.0% to 72.5%). The prevalence of physical assault was 58% (95% CI 52.5% to 63.4%) and verbal assault was 59.8% (95% CI 54.5% to 65%). Of physical assault victims, 21.7% were injured and 30.2% sought medical attention after the incident. Further, 57.3% (n=216) of respondents reported they were 'somewhat worried' and 28.4% (n=107) reported they were 'very worried' about their safety at work. <br><br>CONCLUSION: WPV and safety fears were found to be common among EMTs in India. Focused initiatives to counter WPV in countries developing prehospital care systems are necessary to build a healthy and sustainable prehospital healthcare workforce.<br><br>© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2044-6055",
doi="10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033404",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033404"
}