Violence in ICU: Outcomes, Lessons, and Experiences of ICU Team (The VIOLENT-Study)

Investigating Management and Perceptions of Aggression, Conflict, and Threat in ICU Environments

This study aims to investigate the perceptions, experiences, and responses of healthcare professionals working in intensive care units in Switzerland concerning patient violence.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Workplace Stress

Detailed Description

Workplace violence, as defined by the International Labor Organization, includes any action, incident, or behavior that assaults, threatens, harms, or injures a person during their work. Healthcare workers face the highest risk of workplace violence among all professions. Violence can take many forms, including verbal abuse, physical offenses to sexual harassment. While most research focuses on psychiatric and emergency departments, workplace violence in intensive care units (ICUs) is understudied and often underreported. As a result, little is known about its prevalence and risk factors, leading to a lack of awareness and effective prevention strategies.

This study examines the perceptions, experiences, and responses of healthcare professionals in Swiss ICUs. A questionnaire-based survey will assess various aspects, including personal background (such as education and professional role), the frequency and nature of past incidents of workplace violence, responses and measures taken, psychological or professional consequences, current prevention strategies, and suggestions for improving workplace safety.

Since workplace violence is a common issue, the results of this study could help improve the work environment and safety in ICUs and other healthcare settings.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 500

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Raoul Sutter, Prof. Dr. med.; Phone Number: +41 61 32 87928; Email: raoul.sutter@usb.ch

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • Basel-Stadt
    • Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, 4031
      • Recruiting
      • University Hospital Basel, Intensive Care Unit
      • Principal Investigator: Raoul Sutter, Prof. Dr. med.
      • Sub-Investigator: Sebastian Berger, Dr. med.
      • Contact: Raoul Sutter, Prof. Dr. med.; Phone Number: +41 61 32 87928; Email: raoul.sutter@usb.ch
      • Sub-Investigator: Anja Frei

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Nurses and physicians working in the intensive care unit at Swiss hospitals

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Consenting nurses and physicians currently working in Swiss intensive care units
• Nurses and physicians consenting to participate will be included

Exclusion Criteria:

• Nurses and physicians who do not consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Demographic information (ICU Staff Questionnaire)	Participants provide demographic details, including gender and age, using a questionnaire.	2025
Completion date (ICU Staff Questionnaire)	The date of questionnaire completion is recorded.	2025
Professional background (ICU Staff Questionnaire)	Assessment of professional role of the intensive care unit (ICU) staff, including their education and work experience, using a questionnaire.	2025
Frequency of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)	Participants report the frequency of violent incidents encountered from patients or their relatives in the ICU setting, using a questionnaire.	2025
Type of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)	Participants report the type of violent incidents (verbal, physical, and sexual) encountered from patients or their relatives in the ICU setting, using a questionnaire.	2025
Characteristics of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)	Participants provide detailed information about specific violent incidents they have experienced in the ICU, including the context and perceived triggers, using a questionnaire.	2025
Reporting of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)	Participants report whether the violent incident has been reported, using a questionnaire.	2025
Personal impact of workplace violence (ICU Staff Questionnaire)	Participants describe the personal impact of workplace violence, including psychological and mental health consequences, using a questionnaire.	2025
Professional impact of workplace violence (ICU Staff Questionnaire)	Participants report how workplace violence influences professional factors such as job satisfaction and workload, using a questionnaire.	2025
Actions taken during or after violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)	Participants report the responses and measures taken during or after the violent incident, using a questionnaire.	2025
Strategies for enhancing workplace safety in the ICU (ICU Staff Questionnaire)	Participants provide information on strategies for enhancing workplace safety in the ICU, such as existing institutional policies, prior training in handling workplace violence, and their opinions on workplace violence prevention and recommendations for enhancing ICU safety, using a questionnaire.	2025
Open-ended feedback from participant (ICU Staff Questionnaire)	Participants have the opportunity to share additional comments or remarks related to workplace violence and safety in the ICU, using a questionnaire. This information is collected through a freetext field in the questionnaire.	2025

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Raoul Sutter, Prof. Dr. med., University Hospital Basel, Department of Acute Medicine, Intensive Care Unit

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 20, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 7, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): April 10, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 10, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 7, 2025
• Last Verified: April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Intensive Care Unit; Workplace Violence
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Stress, Psychological; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Stress
• Other Study ID Numbers: Req-2024-01621; am25Sutter2

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No