Background

Occupational violence is recognized w rldwide as a major public health problem. In the United States, an estimated 1.7 million nonfatal work-related acts of violence are reported each year and violence ranks consistently within the top four causes for work-related fatal events [1]. Workers in healthcare settings are among the groups at highest risk of experiencing workplace violence, with nonfatal physical assault (PA) accounting for 8.3 assaults per 10,000 workers compared to 2 per 10,000 in private-sector industries [2]. Moreover, the problem is not limited to industrialized nations. A study across seven countries revealed that more than half of healthcare workers reported experiencin