Patient and visitor violence towards staff on medical and psychiatric wards in India

•Patient and visitor violence (PVV) is a significant problem in India.•Medical wards are more affected than psychiatric wards.•Training in aggression management may reduce the prevalence of PVV.

BackgroundPatient and visitor violence (PVV) towards staff is common across health settings. It has negative effects on staff and treatment provision. Little data is available from the developing world.AimsTo examine the prevalence of PVV in India and make comparisons with the existing data.MethodsWe administered an abbreviated version of the Survey of Violence Experienced by Staff (SOVES-A) in English in Mysore on medical and psychiatric wards.Results249 staff participated. 16% of staff in psychiatric wards were subjected to some form of PVV in the past 4 weeks which is lower than in the developed world. 57% of staff on medical wards experienced PVV which is similar to the developed world. Patients and Visitors were almost equal sources of this violence. Verbal abuse was more common than threats and physical assaults. Training in aggression management may be a protective factor.ConclusionPVV is a significant problem in India, especially on medical wards. Aggression management training may be a way to reduce the prevalence of PVV.