Résumé
Introduction: Workplace violence against formal caregivers
is a signifcant concern in health care, with consequences on
formal caregivers’ health state as well as care-dependent people’s quality of care. However, this topic is rarely investigated
in European home care settings. Terefore, this study aims
to assess the frequency, type of violence, consequences and
related factors of workplace violence towards formal caregivers
working with care-dependent people living at home.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted,
with a convenience sample of formal caregivers employed in a
home care setting in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.
Te formal caregivers included in this study met the following
criteria: (1) aged 18 years or older, (2) directly involved in providing care to the care-dependent people living at home, and
(3) possessed sufcient profciency in French.
Results: Out of the 686 invited formal caregivers, 200 participated in the study. In total 42% of the participants reported
experiencing at least one instance of workplace violence in the
last year, including physical violence (14.5%), non-physical violence (39%), sexual harassment (8%), and sexual aggression
(2.5%). Consequences of workplace violence included injuries,
with 24% of participants experiencing injuries during the most
recent incident of physical violence.
Conclusion: Tese fndings emphasize the high rate of workplace violence toward formal caregivers in the home care setting in Switzerland and highlight the signifcant consequences
for formal caregivers. Addressing and reducing workplace violence is crucial for maintaining formal caregiver safety, quality
of work and the care-dependent people’s quality of care.