Research Snapshot: Testing interventions to address violence against health care workers

Violence against healthcare workers (HCWs) impacts staff safety, service quality, and community trust. However evidence on effective violence reduction interventions, particularly in humanitarian settings, is limited. This study aimed to investigate the triggers of violence against HCWs in DRC and Iraq. It tested two interventions targeting different levels of the health system: a facility-level Code of Conduct (CC), co-developed with HCWs and community stakeholders, and a de-escalation training (IT) to strengthen individual HCWs’ skills in managing violence.

Findings showed that the code of conduct reduced verbal and physical violence, particularly in Iraq, with sustained effects over time. In contrast, individual de-escalation training showed only short-term gains. Further research is needed to understand how to sustain and institutionalise the effects of these interventions.

This snapshot contains key messages, findings, implications for humanitarian policymakers and practitioners and recommendations for further research.