Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10321/4058
Title: A model for the prevention of work-place violence towards public service emergency care providers in Gauteng province
Authors: Khoza, Tshikani Lewis 
Keywords: Emergency medical services;Prehospital emergency care providers;Gauteng Province;Public healthcare system;South Africa;Workplace violence
Issue Date: 1-Dec-2021
Abstract: 
Background
Workplace violence is an alarming world-wide phenomenon that also affects
healthcare providers. However, among healthcare providers, Prehospital
Emergency Care Providers (PECPs) are particularly at risk of workplace
violence as they provide direct patient care in often hostile and undefined public
areas whilst interacting with the patient, their family members and bystanders.
Gauteng Province is South Africa’s economic hub and the most populous
province. In Gauteng Province, workplace violence towards public service
PECPs persists, producing a negative impact on the effectiveness of the public
healthcare system, despite the measures that have been put in place.
Aim
The aim of this study was to develop a model to prevent of workplace violence
against public service PECPs in Gauteng Province.
Methodology
The study was conducted using a non-experimental, cross sectional and mixed
methods design guided by a social constructivism/ interpretivism paradigm with
an interpretative framework founded on pragmatism. Overall, 413
questionnaires were administered in the quantitative subphase. The qualitative
subphase the study included seven (7) face to face semi-structured interviews
from the management cohort and focus group discussions comprised of 35
PECPs. Parallel mixed methods analysis was used to analyze the data.
Findings
The findings of this study revealed that even with the current preventative
measures in place, there is a high incidence of workplace violence towards
public sector emergency care providers within low and middle income
communities of Gauteng who rely on state funded healthcare. The risk factors
to workplace violence included service delivery frustrations and protests, high
crime rates, a lack of reliable backup and emergency care providers being perceived as easy targets. Workplace violence results in a lack of job
satisfaction and a poor perception of workplace safety culture amongst PECPs
and a decreased quality of and limited access to emergency medical care
amongst the low and middle income communities in Gauteng. The findings and
meta-inferences generated by the mixed results informed the development of
a proposed model for the prevention of workplace violence towards public
service PECPs in Gauteng Province.
Description: 
Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Philosophiae Doctor in Health Sciences in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the Durban University of Technology, 2021.
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/10321/4058
DOI: https://doi.org/10.51415/10321/4058
Appears in Collections:Theses and dissertations (Health Sciences)

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