The rising tide of workplace violence in the healthcare sector: a global scoping review of burden, determinants, and prevention strategies (2021–2025)

Introduction – Workplace violence (WPV) is a pervasive occupational and public health concern affecting healthcare workers (HCWs) globally. This review aims to systematically map recent evidence on WPV, examining its prevalence, associated risk factors, health and occupational consequences, and preventive strategies across different healthcare settings and geographic contexts. Methods – This scoping review synthesizes evidence from 77 studies conducted across 53 countries and published between 2021 and 2025. Studies reporting data on WPV prevalence, determinants, health consequences, or preventive strategies among HCWs were included, with attention to geographic and socioeconomic variation. Results – Psychological and verbal violence were the most frequently reported forms of WPV, often affecting over 40–70% of healthcare workers in high-risk environments. Physical and sexual violence, although less prevalent, remained significant, particularly in emergency, psychiatric, and long-term care settings. Nurses, early-career professionals, and women were consistently identified as high-risk groups. Perpetrators included patients, relatives, colleagues, and supervisors. Determinants spanned individual, organizational, and contextual levels, including patient acuity, staffing shortages, weak institutional policies, and socio-political instability. WPV was associated with burnout, anxiety, depression, reduced job satisfaction, turnover, and impaired patient care. Preventive strategies were identified at multiple levels, although evidence for integrated and context-specific approaches remains limited, particularly in low-resource settings. Discussion – Addressing WPV as a systemic occupational health risk requires coordinated, context-sensitive approaches and rigorous evaluation of interventions to support HCWs, improve reporting, and mitigate adverse outcomes. Future research should prioritize context-sensitive evaluation of interventions, including emerging AI-based approaches, to develop scalable and sustainable prevention.